Crimson Tears: Shattered Wings
by Chauncey Chu
Summary: Sin. The angels are stripped of their immortality and are left with a choice of redemption. Mountains may crumble, chances may be lost, promises may be broken but there will only be one result of war. Angels vs Demons. Eternal damnation. Crap summary.
1. Introduction

**Author's Notes:** Hi all. Yes, this is another one of the pieces I'm working on. Though the summary didn't punch it in for you, I hope reading the story itself would. Rated T for the mild blood and gore. Without further ado, here's my second story: Crimson Tears - Shattered Wings. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. God owns everything.

INTRODUCTION

The Game of the Gods

And the wind shall blow, not on its own, but in which direction the gods order it to.

* * *

Angels once lived in peace and harmony together with the gods in the land of Arcadia, away from Artwaltz, the land of discord where demons reside. They possessed normal lives as we, humans, evidently have. There were no sin and shame present, only love and accord. For this was how the gods had designed their perfect Utopia, lacking any wrong.

Except for one thing, though.

In the middle of the vast land was a high mountain whose peak, nearly reaching the farthest area of the sky, the tree of life was rooted. The said tree bore a lone fruit of which no angel was permitted to take. Informed that the fruit would cause death even on contact, not even a single angel dared to even step close to the mountain.

One day, a courageous angel flew to the top of the mountain during the course of a week. Driven by curiosity, he ate the fruit and ignored what the gods have told them. As soon as it touched his mouth, all the forbidden knowledge flowed through him like a strong arctic breeze. The gods automatically felt this and proceeded to do as what they had planned to.

Slowly, transgressions of all sorts invaded the land of Arcadia. Like a sudden realization of hidden emotions beforehand, the angels became exposed to sadness, shame, pain, et hoc genus omne. The Utopia was utterly destroyed by one fatal mistake.

The angel who had eaten the forbidden fruit was never seen again by any angel. Rumors have told that the angel lost his wings and was consumed by total darkness.

As punishment, the angels' immortality was disregarded. Their life spans were shortened to a strict limit – an average of ninety human years. In addition, the Exodus happened; the gods banished the angels from the land of Arcadia, leaving them a chance to prove themselves worthy of forgiveness.

Each angel was given the decision to take the option of retribution. In exchange for the most important thing to them, they were given Vanquishers, sacred weapons to destroy the evil in Artwaltz. The gods had used the opportunity to end the war between good and evil at long last.

Majority of the angels approved of this and sacrificed the item they valued the most. The others who didn't instead started living normal lives and waited in anticipation.

And, one of those who joined the holy crusade was a young angel named Cross - an angel who had so much love and hope for the world.

This is the story of how an Angel of Chaos brought hope to the dying world.


	2. Prologue

Prologue

Genesis

* * *

After several hundred human years since the Exodus...

_Eisengard, one of the four cities that angels built and governed after the Exodus._

In the city of Eisengard, there was one person who held the highest position, leading the whole community into much greater success. It was the King, Keinsley Cartwright. He had the power and authority of that as a ruler of a whole empire. For twenty years, he has wonderfully turned a small village into a kingdom with its own respected innovations, weapons, army, et hoc genus omne. Eisengard was very renowned for one special thing though - its Princess.

"Happy birthday!"

With a pop, rainbow colored confetti and fuchsia tinted balloons flew everywhere, conveying a congratulatory message to whoever was celebrating.

In fact, the celebrator was the King's daughter, Princess Cornelia. Cornelia was highly regarded as an intellectual angel who possessed unequaled beauty. Along with her naturally golden locks, her stormy aquamarine orbs were one of a kind. Certainly, this young lady's 12th birthday was an event that no one would let pass by without them being involved one way or another.

Around the back of the lavish halls of Eisengard's Castle was an orchestra that provided light jazz for the celebration. Every single angel in the kingdom was present, standing up beside their designated wooden carved seats as a cake was brought to the front of the stage.

"Now, for the Princess' birthday wish," the host of the party announced.

Accepting the microphone with meek hands, Cornelia made her way to the center of the stage and faced the whole community. She smiled gratefully at them before placing the microphone to her mouth, "I wish-"

BANG! CRASH!

The front doors of the hall burst open and dead guards were flung inside. A wingless entity paced along the room as other troops of angels attempted to restraint him. The townsfolk panicked and scrambled. Guards immediately aided in the evacuating procedure and in the protection of the royal family.

Spears were hurled at the intruder from all four directions while several other angels charged at him head-on. He jumped and grabbed one of the spears upon landing. He slammed an incoming soldier into the rest of his opponents, stacking them one behind another. With one push, the spear penetrated the pile of soldiers, killing all of them in one blow.

The wingless entity focused his eyes on the princess behind his dark shadowy cloak that revealed nothing except his eyes. He sprinted towards her, unmasking a dagger from his sleeve. Keinsley screamed at the guards since they were taking him away from the scene, leaving his daughter.

Outmatched in every single aspect, the angels guarding the Princess were discarded easily by the abomination. He sliced his way through them. Jumping on one of the soldier's shoulders, the cloaked figure threw the dagger in his hand at the Princess.

She closed her eyes, shielding herself from fear.

CLANG.

The dagger was swiftly repelled by the spear of a black winged angel who seemingly came out of nowhere, his tattered cape billowing behind him in a blur of crimson.

The Princess opened her eyes in surprise. The black winged angel glanced behind his shoulders, looking at her with his dark onyx orbs shrouded by a cloak similar to the wingless entity. Demons of the dark came rushing towards them as the wingless one called on them from the deepest herald of Artwaltz.

The King was dragged out of the castle before the Hellhounds could reach the doors in which they escaped. Some of the fiends aimed for the angel's head while the remaining sought to take the Princess to their master. The angel fended off the Minotaurs and Orcs with his crimson spear, protecting the Princess behind him. He struck the foot of the horned demon in front of him and pushed it down the stage, also causing the other demons to stumble in the process. He ducked from an horizontal axe blow and crushed the Orc's throat with an impaling spear attack from below.

Cornelia looked about apprehensively, watching the battle unfold. She was unaware of what to do in the middle of the chaos. Suddenly, the angel was thrown to the wall beside her. Blood dripped from his arm down to his hand.

"W-what's happening?"

"Chaos."

The angel ripped his bloody sleeve off and clutched his spear tightly.

Then, a Dragonute ran at the Princess at full throttle. The angel struck it in the head with his weapon before spinning around the demon and reclaiming his spear. He flew off the stage and dashed at the direction of the wingless enemy. He sped in one direction, killing one fiend after another with slashes to the neck and chest. He slid under a table then jumped at the shoulders of an Orc before ripping it in half. Using a nearby pillar to gain momentum, the angel grabbed it with his free hand and spun around it, pushing away from it with his feet to propel himself at the main enemy. He raised his spear as the distance between them closed.

The wingless entity drew out a black spear to parry the angel's swift slash. The angel withdrew a small leap backwards.

He charged again, sending sparks of light and darkness from the clashing of their spears. He pressured with a barrage of quick slashes and aerial blows until the intruder was backed into the wall.

The enemy jumped on the wall and aerial dashed to the Princess' direction. Cursing, the angel chased him from behind with the use of his dark, ravenous wings. The angel reached to grab his enemy's foot but he suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind the angel's back. A slash of the dark spear sent the angel plunging hard into the floor. Cornelia made her way to the exit as guards covered her. The wingless entity glanced at her and nudged the angel out of the way with his foot. Cornelia shrieked, seeing the enemy closing in. Before the wingless one could slash Cornelia, chains grabbed his sides and pulled him away from her. The angel picked himself up from the ground, a long chained blade in his hands. His wings were now elongated and a mask of jagged black lines covered his face.

The guards, along with the Princess, stared at the angel in stupor.

Sprinting at him, the wingless one struck the angel with his spear. The angel flinched from the attack without moving an inch from where he stood. A pummeling barrage of strikes was forced upon the angel. He still stood firm, blood running down from the side of his forehead.

Chains of Chaos entered through the roof, the floor and the walls of the hall. Each of the chains took hold of the intruder's head, hands and legs respectively, rendering him powerless. He was raised in the air, the chains and his figure forming a cross. The angel held his hand out, pointing it at the wingless one. Scorching flames from the depths of hell burned the skin of the enemy. He screamed in agonizing pain, sending shivers to those who watched.

Upon seeing this, Cornelia's eyes widened in sheer horror.

The angel laid deep slices into the enemy's limbs, creating a cross shaped scar on his chest. The screaming became worse as the chains that held him from all directions pulled with intense force. His bones snapped and his joints became dislocated. The wingless one was torn apart in a matter of seconds. The head, arms and legs were taken apart from the torso. His detached limbs scattered on the floor, sending a shower of blood.

Wiping his blood stained face and picking up the defeated enemy's head, the angel looked at the Princess. Overwhelmed by fear and unknown emotions, the guards finally regained their ability to move and escorted the Princess to a much safer place.

Later, from atop a hill, the people of Eisengard watched as a black winged angel ascended to the dark sky, carrying with him a long, chained blade.

* * *

**A/N:** Well? Love it? Hate it? Whatever emotion may have captured your senses, please leave a review. It makes budding writers, like me, satisfied and happy about their stories. I have to know if this is worth continuing or not so please, post a comment. Even a single sentence, or even a phrase, is deeply appreciated.


	3. Act 1

Act 1

Gate of Heaven

Tales shall speak of the war between the gods and demons, the battle of good and evil.

* * *

Four human years later...

_Gate of Heaven, separating the outside world from Arcadia._

A black winged angel stood firm in front of the Gate of Heaven, which was suspended far up in the sky. He stood motionless as the uprising squall's gust whipped his wild-curled out, pitch-black hair.

His outfit was complete. The top part of his body was shrouded in darkness by a black V-neck shirt that overlapped a white one underneath. Covering his lower half was his black pants that had two black intersecting belts, one from the top right and one around his left leg. A dark metal pauldron was on his left shoulder and his crimson cape was attached to it. The cape, due to its diverse design, had gaps for his wings. It hid his lower jaw and only exposed a part of his black shirt, covering his front from both sides vertically like a jacket. The last portion of the set was his dark, shin-high, metal boots.

"_Demons,_" the angel thought as he sensed a familiar influx of adrenaline overflowing in him.

Opening the palm of his hand, blue glowing particles forming a spear-like shape suddenly appeared near his hand. The dust under him swiveled as the particles produced a weak whirlwind.

Fiends, specifically wild beasts, shook the area with their heavy, trampling footsteps.

"Death to all who oppose the will of the gods," whispered the black winged angel to the wind.

Howling, the multitude of beasts rushed when they caught sight of the angel. They opened their mouths, hungry for fresh blood, and exposed their terrifyingly large canine teeth. A single one of them could devour a whole army of archangels in seconds. Imagine what a hundred could do.

"To cast upon divine retribution, I call upon thee, Chaos!" the angel called out. Grabbing onto the blue particles, it formed into a crimson lance - his Vanquisher, Chaos.

The angel sidestepped as the first assaulter attacked. With a single heavy stroke he slashed the fiend in two, leaving the dead corpse ablaze on the ground. Spinning around, he quickly stepped forward with his right foot and dashed ahead at blinding velocity as his ravenous wings granted him with speed.

As one of the beasts opened its jaws, he struck his lance into its mouth, effectively crushing the beast's skull. He pulled the spear out, causing broken tissues and joints. Another three simultaneously lunged at him, aiming for his vital spots. An aura of crimson flame emerged from the ground and surrounded the angel, burning the three beasts into ashes.

He fluttered off into the air. Circling his spear in a spherical motion, the angel raised it up at the clear blue sky.

_When the crimson lance pierces the sky, blood shall rain from the heavens._

Closing his eyes, the angel threw his spear upwards. At once, the clouds turned black. Lightning lit up the slowly darkening area and thunders roared like six hundred lions.

His wings beating upwards and back, the angel opened his eyes suddenly and held his hand out.

"Crimson Tears!"

The angel's spear darted downwards, bringing thousands upon thousands of different spears pouring violently from the heavens. The clashing sound of metal echoed as the dying howls of the demons also did. These spears pierced through both bone and soul, leaving no survivors.

The angel gradually descended down from the skies with the help of his wings. Bright clouds replaced the dark ones and the lightning, so as the darkness, had vanished. He walked over to Chaos, his lance, and uprooted it from the ground. The spear disappeared, dispersing into blue glowing particles, as the angel had made it do so.

"You have done marvelously, Cross." The gods' voices echoed inside his skull.

"I am only fulfilling my duty as an angel."

"Indeed, we know that fully well."

"Certainly."

"Proceed to the next area."

"As you wish."

As Cross walked over the dead bodies of the beasts, each of them faded into thin air as a slightly visible dark smoke rose from their corpses - the essence of evil which was the very soul of every demon.

Cross paced through the stone halls of the Gate of Heaven, passing enormous pillars that supported the whole structure. Chains the size of boulders were found adjacent to them, also providing support. Dust scattered in the air below him as his dark greaves made contact with the ground. Considering that the age of the structure was as old as eternity, it still seemed in good form.

Reaching the end of the bridge that connected the land of Eisengard and the Gate of Heaven, an additional group of demons greeted him - a pack of giant Orcs, at least two times taller than him. They were located below him, since the bridge of stone was fairly elevated from the ground.

Cross hastily summoned his Vanquisher, Chaos, on his right hand. Fire blazed through from the ground, protecting him like a fierce dragon. The fire reflected of his pale, ivory skin and dark onyx eyes.

He held his head high up and spread his black, ravenous wings.

"Foolish demons. Feel the wrath of the gods!"

---

"Pull back!" commanded the chief archangel of Eisengard.

A dozen of injured angels scrambled, depending on their damaged wings for flight. Uncountable masses of demons of all kinds were following behind from a few meters away.

The retreating angels crossed paths with a black winged angel. Fearful of death, they did not confront the angel and just flew past him instead. The black winged angel's footsteps were calm and solid as he walked in the direction of the army of the shadow of darkness.

"This is where you shall all fall," stated the angel.

Beasts growled and demons readied their weapons for battle. The black winged angel narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. One of the minions of the devil was courageous enough to charge first. Wielding a scimitar and a knife, the Goblin assailed in full force.

Cross pulled himself forward with a beat of his wings. He placed his hand on the Goblin's face and snapped it into pieces. Screams of pain sent shivers down the spines of the demons, if they had one, as their comrade's body crumbled to the ground and dissolved into dust.

Casted into berserk, the demons flurried towards the angel and yelled their battle chant. But there Cross stood, patiently, summoning his Vanquisher once more.

_Blood shall rain from the heavens and so shall on the face of the Angel of Chaos._

The demons came closer and closer, surrounding him from every angle.

_May the crimson plumes penetrate through the raveling darkness._

He raised his hands smoothly, thus forming a cross with his stature. A black circle, emitting a dark crimson hue, materialized on the ground below the angel, and symbols of the sacred tongue appeared on its circumference.

"Bloody cross!"

Destruction.

Black feathers drifted downwards, landing lightly on the parched land.

The Angel of Chaos turned his head sideways and looked behind his back. The thousands of demons disintegrated and faded, one by one. Then, a red liquid fell to the soil. Cross examined it with his dark orbs.

Blood.

Blood that in which everything started. Blood that was the element of sin. Blood that reminded him of his mortality.

"The demons on the south border of Eisengard have withdrawn with the aid of your efforts." The gods' voices ran through his mind yet again.

"..."

"This war has only begun. If it shall take all eternity for us to reclaim what was lost, then so be it."

"Your orders?"

"Exterminate the archangels who have fled from the battle you have just encountered. We need not cowardly pawns in this war."

"...As you wish."

---

The chief archangel of Eisengard and what was left of his team were resting on the top of the Valley of Valkyries.

"Greetings," the chief welcomed upon seeing an angel come within their camping ground.

Blue glowing particles appeared on the angel's right hand.

Spears.

Blood.

Screaming.

* * *

**A/N:** My apologies for the brutality. My sadistic self comes out sometimes. You have my gratitude for the time you have spent for this. I also hope that you have enjoyed (even just a little bit) while reading this. Please review and tell your friends about this story? -.- I'm asking too much, not like anyone would do it anyway. Well, thank you again and may God bless you.


	4. Act 2

Act 2

Harmony's Corruption

Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, say ye to the daughter of Zion. Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

* * *

_Valley of Valkyries, located a few hundred kilometers from the city of Eisengard._

"Go away!" a female angel shouted in an irate tone.

The hungry demon chasing the young angel seemed to laugh at its prey's defenselessness. Getting on its hind legs, the Hellhound leaped from valley to valley and jumped over depressions.

The female angel weakly waved her bow Vanquisher, Azusa Yumi, at the warring hound as her pure white wings propelled her backwards. She glided swiftly in the air, avoiding the attacks. Her golden locks swayed to and fro along her white face from all her moving.

Unabated, the Hellhound lunged at the angel and landed on a small balanced rock. It growled loudly at the angel, scaring her even more. In panic, the angel shot an arrow at the mid point of the balanced rock. The big rock on top fell and carried the demon with it to the depths of a long depression. The last thing the female heard was a faint howl followed by a strident crash, probably the sound of a boulder breaking from impact.

Sighing, the young angel wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She turned around in thought that the battle was finally over. But, it was far from done. Another Hellhound challenged her to a death match.

She held the Azusa Yumi tightly with her left hand. In one fluid motion, the angel raised the bow from the downward pointing position up until it was vertically aligned, and she drew the string of the bow towards her face although there was no arrow.

_Angels traveling through the valley of the shadow of death shall be horded by demons..._

Relaxing her fingers, the angel released the string.

_But the gods will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down._

The sound of the heavenly choir filled the area, paralyzing the demon in its steps.

"Critical Strafe!"

Instantly, a myriad of holy arrows crashed on the demon and were impaled on the platform in which the hound stood. The arrows and the demon vanished thereafter.

"Cornelia," called the gods.

"Yes?" she responded in surprise with round eyes as if she was talking to the gods personally or face-to-face.

"Eliminate your designated target, now," ordered the gods through a psychic link in which they were able to communicate to angels even from light years away.

"Um...what target was it again?"

"Forgetful young angel... Take down the angel with black wings."

"Why would you command me to fight my fellow angel?"

"Enough questions. Go and complete your task." With that, the gods shut off the connection so that the angel might not be able to respond any further.

Shrugging, Cornelia skipped and flew towards the unknown and let her senses lead her.

---

The sun was slowly setting and the day was nearly finished. Streaks of gold, orange, yellow and red colored the sky like oil pastel on a plain white canvas. Cornelia sat on one of the branches of a tree and relaxed her white wings after hours of endless traveling. She looked up at the darkening sky and grinned. Before long, the day turned into night. Heavenly bodies of great distances served as stars that lit up the sky while the moon gave light to the world of angels.

Cornelia almost fell asleep with the relaxing and cold breeze yet an unusual rustling of leaves startled her, turning on her battle senses.

She inhaled deeply. Jumping off the tree branch, Cornelia twirled in the air before landing on the ground bended-knee. Driven by her instincts, she summoned her Vanquisher and dashed into the woods. From afar, she saw a shadowy figure flying through the woods. The form had black wings and she confirmed it by the black feathers lying on the soil.

Cornelia chased her target in a zigzag path. She avoided low, stray branches of trees, displaced roots and the likes which made it hard to fly through the forest. Finally, the figure stopped outside the forest.

"Halt!" she tried to state in the toughest voice she could muster.

The figure, standing slightly taller than she was, turned around and glared at her with its dark eyes. This was no angel. It was one of the high-ranked demons of Artwaltz.

"You dare command me, puny puppet of the gods?"

Cornelia, immediately intimidated, could no longer talk for her words were stuck in her throat. The apparition took a step forward and sent a weak earthquake to its surroundings.

"T-the g-gods have ordered your judgement," her threatened voice came out.

The demon's laugh echoed all the way throughout the forest. "I, ArchHeart, am an official of Artwaltz. No little minion of the gods can defeat me."

Cornelia drew her bow and rapidly shot soul arrows at the demon. At normal instances, one arrow was enough to take down at least one Hellhound. However, not even one of the thousands of arrows went past through ArchHeart's demonic aura.

"Idiocy. Pure idiocy," insulted the demon as it bare a smug grin. Cornelia let out a yelp as ArchHeart started to make its move towards her. The demon may be a fraction slower than her, but one strike from its long horns, enormous claws or spiked tail would mean certain death.

Cornelia went back into the forest in terror. Her wings moved on their own in panic, causing her to occasionally trip and fall. She skinned her knees, sprained her ankle and injured her wings.

"Come and fight," ArchHeart dared the angel.

Tears were already streaming down the cheeks of the young female. She took one last fall and was not able to lift herself up from the ground.

"Die!" screamed the demon before raising its claw in preparation for a deathblow.

Out of nowhere, a crimson spear crushed the demon's claw into fragmented pieces. ArchHeart let out a painful growl, pulling out the skewered spear from its hand. Blood gushed out of the deep wound.

Cornelia quickly glanced behind her and saw an angel with black ravenous wings in contrast to her white dove-like wings. His crimson eyes and red spear appealed as very familiar to her.

The crimson spear disappeared from ArchHeart's grasp and returned to Cross' hand.

"Leave, ArchHeart. Thou'st not belong in this sacred ground," Cross said in his low-pitched voice.

ArchHeart snarled at the black winged angel. It spat out a dark fireball at Cornelia's direction. The female shrieked in fright.

Expecting something bad to happen, Cornelia hurriedly closed her eyes. After a few moments of nothing, she opened them once again only to see the black winged angel standing in front of her, just like before. A red substance fell down from the angel's arm and forehead. Blood.

Cross grinned chaotically.

For an instance, an unexplainable feeling of sheer horror rose in the demon's heart upon seeing the angel's grin. It almost seemed frightening enough to scare even the gods of Arcadia.

The blood dripping down immediately turned into ruby flames once it touched the ground. With small and controlled steps, Cross approached the demon, which began fleeing.

Massive, black, seraph wings spread out from the back of the angel. Blood ran down the left eye of Cross as he raised his right hand and pointed at ArchHeart.

_In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order._

ArchHeart was stopped by a wall of fire that was barred to burn anything else but the souls of the corrupt and the hearts of the malevolent.

_Answer my prayer and let chaos pour down this night._

"Chains of Chaos!"

Cross teleported-dashed to the demon from one angle to another while chains traced his trail. His path formed into a cross; the demon was mummified in the Chains of Chaos.

"Open, the Gate of Chaos."

A fiendish gate with two doors arose from the solid ground. On the left door engraved were angels and the gods while on the right were the demons and Lucius, the ruler of Artwaltz. The handle of the gate contained the shape of a bleeding heart pierced by a spear.

"Your sins shall be repaid in full with blood."

Cross snapped his fingers and the doors of the Gate of Chaos threw open. Within the gate was a world of complete darkness - oblivion. Black, shadowy hands with eyes came from the darkness within the gate. Though it struggled, ArchHeart was unable to move due to the chains. The demon let out a gasp as its fate was being judged. The hands slickly wrapped around the demon and slowly pulled it into oblivion. ArchHeart's screaming was muffled as other hands from inside the gate went inside its mouth and infiltrated the demon's system. Just before the demon was dragged inside, blood came out from its mouth and eyes, its bones snapped and cracked altogether and its soul was eaten by the phantom inside the Gate of Chaos. Finally, the terrifying gate closed its doors and disappeared from the sight of everyone.

Cross walked to Cornelia and held out a hand. The female angel neither said nor did anything because everything she had just seen scared her like nothing else. The vision she just had was horrible and terrorizing than any other event imaginable. It seemed like the forbidden Gates of Hell, a place much worse than Artwaltz, had opened.

"Stand up," Cross' voice shook Cornelia out of her fearsome thoughts. His calm, onyx eyes gave her a reason to accept the hand that was in front of her. It held a sense of trust and benevolence. And so, she grabbed onto Cross hand and let him haul her to her feet.

Without delay, Cornelia plunged back to the ground. She had sprained her ankle before and her wings were too injured for her to fly. Apparently, Cross had already predicted that case.

With a swoop of his arms, Cross carried Cornelia in a lover's carry with one of his hands supporting her knees and the other underneath her neck. He spread his wings and took off into the dark, night sky.

Cornelia dared not ask if they have met before. Though she was certain that they had, she noticed that Cross didn't seem to remember.

Soon, it also poured, soaking the two in rainwater. Cross was looking for a safe place to camp for the night. He turned his head to her and asked, "Were you hurt?"

"Can't you see that I sprained my ankle, skinned my knees and injured my wings?" Cornelia answered back, already back to her usual self.

"I did not mean that. Do you possess any serious injuries?"

"These _are_ serious injuries!"

"Forget I asked."

With a sigh, Cross cut the conversation short. Cornelia just giggled like a giddy schoolgirl. He looked at her, his face lacking any emotion. "What do you find humorous?"

"It's nothing."

"What is it?" Cross asked in repetition while adding pressure to his voice.

"Geez, so grouchy," she teased, copying his emotionless face after.

Cross narrowed his eyes.

Cornelia grinned evermore.

Cross decided not to pay attention to the pointless conversation with a pointless person because it all seemed so darn pointless. After what seemed like perpetuity, Cross noticed a cave hidden under towering trees near the end of the vast forest. He swooped down in one mighty dive and landed firmly inside the cave without indirectly inflicting pain to Cornelia. Cross cautiously placed her down and let her lean against the cold, rocky wall.

"Thanks-" Cornelia started and was unable to continue.

"Cross," he supplied.

"Thanks Cross," she gingerly said, flashing him a passionate smile.

A snap was all it took to start a fire inside the cave without any materials. The glowing flame provided warmth and brightness that both of the angels dearly desired.

"Hey-" Cornelia called in vain before Cross flew out of the cave for an indefinite motive. He later came back with several large leaves and a handful of berries. Cross wrapped Cornelia's exposed skin and the wounds on her knees with the gathered leaves. The berries, on the other hand, were fed to her as medicine to recover her wounds and injuries.

Cross made his way over the opposite end and leaned on the wall, his eyes never leaving Cornelia. She observed this and was intellectual enough to know the reason behind it. She could somehow sense a slight feeling of care emanating from him.

"Your mission," the gods rang a bell her inside her mind.

That was when Cornelia remembered her current mission - to eradicate the angel with black wings. Was there any chance that the angel before her was the one she was ordered to kill? "_After all that he had done for me, I won't be able to do that_," she convinced herself mentally and involuntarily shut out the voices of the gods from her head.

"You have not told me your name yet," Cross stated with no emotion whatsoever.

"Ah, yes. I am the Princess of Eisengard, Cornelia Cartwright, very pleased to meet you."

Cross nodded in response. "Are you hungry?"

"What's my name?"

"...Princess Cornelia Cartwright."

"Then ask again."

"Are you hungry....Princess?"

"Just call me Cornelia." She smiled at him and looked straight into his eyes which reflected off the glint of the fire. Heck, he was too gallant and downright gorgeous for her to kill him anyway.

"Are you?"

"Nope, not re..al..l..y..."

Then, her mind and body shut down, causing her to faint. Cross quickly rolled to her side and caught her head before it hit the ground. He took off his fiery red cape and black shirt strapped to his sides with dark leather strips before gently placing them under Cornelia's head to serve as a pillow of some sort.

He knelt silently beside Cornelia and brushed a few strands of golden hair from her face. Cross, eyes wide awake, protected her every single minute of the night until the sun rose once more to a new day.

* * *

**A/N: **HEY YOU! YEAH, YOU, THE ONE SITTING IN FRONT OF THAT MONITOR AND THAT KEYBOARD WHILE STARING STUPIDLY AT THE SCREEN! Uh...hi. :D If anyone is truly out there, I thank you for visiting this webpage. I do hope you leave a comment, a suggestion, or a review before you close this tab. I wonder why are there only hits on the intro page. Is it **_that_** boring T_T? If by any chance that you came across this by accident, thanks for adding a hit even though you didn't read it. lol. Anyway, on to the next chappie.


	5. Act 3

Act 3

Brought Together by Accident

There are no accidents in this world for everything is controlled by fate.

* * *

_A cave somewhere between Eisengard and the Valley of Valkyries._

The burning fire from the night before was now extinguished. Cornelia woke up with the sunlight shining inside the cave. She brushed the dirt off her white polar top and her unstained fur jacket. She fixed the white belt of her black shorts which had a slanted, lapis lazuli adorned white half-skirt attached around the back and knee length capri boots.

"Shall we leave?"

The voice was so startling that she almost jumped.

"Geez! Don't scare me like that!"

Cross, whose shadow turned into a form of an angel, appeared from the dark end of the cave.

"Shall we leave? It is dangerous in this forest during the day more than when it is nightfall."

Cornelia tried to stand up but she fell on her bottom again, failing her attempt. Flinching from the pain, she closed her eyes and put one of her hands on her left ankle. "I...can't stand."

Ala déjà vu, Cross carried her in his arms and headed out of the cave. "I apologize but it is a priority to make haste and leave this place," he explained to her. Cornelia nodded in response.

Cross sped upwards in the air and traveled south. They soared above the forest of gigantic trees that created a seemingly infinite ocean. Minutes passed before Cornelia realized something vital. "Wait...where the heck are you taking me?"

"Back to your home."

"What?! No!"

"...."

"Wait...how did you know where I live?"

"I just do." Well, she told him that she was the Princess of Eisengard. Leave it to Cornelia for being so forgetful.

"B-But.. Don't take me there!"

"...."

"Wait...do you really know where I live or are you just saying that so you can bring me to a place where we're all alone and-"

"And?"

"Um..."

"...Yes?"

"Never mind."

Suddenly, a feather whirled towards Cross at blinding speed. He wasn't able to avoid it due to the fact that he was carrying Cornelia with both of his hands. It was impossible for him to glide in the air with the weight that he was carrying.

"Are you telling the readers that I'm fat?!" Cornelia shouted to the air.

No, I'm just trying to state a fact-

"Shut up!"

Uh...alright.

"Dude, I was joking. The story can't go onward if you don't speak."

As I was saying, the feather sliced Cross' shoulder and caused him to drop Cornelia down into the forest. Her wings were too injured to carry her into the air. Her scream was hushed as a pair of arms caught her before she landed on the ground. Cross served as the impact-breaking factor between her and the ground; he placed himself under her so that it was him who would take the fall, not her.

"A-are you alright?" Lying on top of him, Cornelia asked Cross anxiously as he groaned in pain.

"Behind you!" shouted Cross.

"Huh?"

When Cornelia didn't respond, Cross pushed her aside with the aid of his enhanced senses. If he hadn't done it in a split of a nanosecond, it would be too late. Cornelia was thrown to the side while Cross was crushed by a beast's foot that was as large as his whole body.

Cornelia gasped in shock. That was all her body would let her do.

A high-pitched growl echoed through the forest. A full-grown Griffin was looking for breakfast and had its eyes on Cross. It unlocked its mouth and lowered it to Cross' head.

"Wrong move, bird." Cross smirked.

Chaos, Cross' Vanquisher, appeared out of nowhere and impaled the griffin's tongue. The spear deepened its way into the demon's skull, making sure that the demon would not stand after the attack. The huge beast fell sideways before vanishing into thin air, leaving nothing but dark smoke. Chaos disappeared and Cross remained on the ground. Quickly, Cornelia forced her way towards him even though her ankle was badly injured.

"Oh no," she whispered to herself after seeing Cross' condition. The griffin's weight had crushed Cross' ribcage more or less. To her surprise, Cross picked himself from the ground and faced her.

"Let us move onward."

"You should rest first," she suggested.

"No, we must not waste time."

Cornelia slapped Cross on the side of the head. "Sit here and rest. I'll make you a potion."

"I can do it by myse-"

"I said _**sit**_!"

Cross bowed his head in respect and nodded slightly while Cornelia grinned in triumph. For safety purposes, she had to make sure that Cross' condition would not worsen.

Out of nowhere, she ripped open his shirt.

"What are you-"

"Keep quiet!"

Gracefully, she ran her fingers along Cross' rib area. She closed her eyes in an angelic chant and a soothing feeling overwhelmed Cross' senses.

"That should prevent any further damage," she stated, feeling reluctant to take her hands off Cross' perfectly chiseled chest and finely toned muscles.

"You have my gratitude."

"Aww," Cornelia purred sarcastically. "Don't get all soft on me now."

She gathered all the energy she had left and commanded her wings to take her into flight as she looked for ingredients for a potion. Fortunately, she was able to do it successfully. Minutes passed and Cornelia, with a small wooden cup in her hand, came back to the place where Cross was.

The contents of the cup warned Cross that it was nothing like a potion. It didn't even look edible in the first place. Who would drink a potion made out of insect blood, a Griffin's eye and some random poop Cornelia picked up?

"Do you expect me to-"

"Yes, I do. Drink up!" Cornelia ratified before shoving the cup into Cross' mouth. He swallowed painfully, closing his eyes. The taste was easy to deal with but the continuous flow of the thick liquid wasn't – he almost choked. The large Griffin eye didn't help either.

"Do you feel better?" she asked with a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"Certainly," Cross replied, out of breath. "_I couldn't feel any worse than I am right now, thank you," _he thought to himself.

Cornelia wiped the excess potion off Cross' lips with her finger before putting it inside her mouth.

"I am quite firm that you needed that potion more than I did."

"Nah," Cornelia responded carelessly.

"Let me repay you somehow."

"Sure. I'll tell you what I want once I've thought about it. Just don't forget that you owe me."

Cross nodded his head. At that time, his vision started to become blurry and his body felt extremely heavy. "_T-that potion...what was in it?_" he asked himself mentally.

THUD.

He fell on the ground, unconscious.

---

_Eisengard, one of the four cities that angels built and governed after the Exodus._

Within the center of the kingdom was a large castle, where the king and the princess resided. It rested on a part of land isolated from the city itself by a small body of water. A reinforced steel-chained wooden gate served as a bridge to the massive castle. Holding the wooden gate was a large arc of a marble and slate solution. From there onward, squadrons of guards stood in attention. They were all over the area, just to ensure the well being of the royal family. The inside of the castle was very grand but also quite modern.

The castle walls were sturdy, being made from blocks of boulders which were perfectly fitted to one another. Covering the middle aisle of the floor was a gold-bordered red carpet made from the finest quality of textile. Chandeliers were also mounted on the high ceilings, providing refracted light through arrays of glass or crystal prisms. Twisted silver bars imbued with pearls served as the railings of the main staircase. Just before the staircase bridged into two pathways, the left and the right, a great ruby cloth with Eisengard's emblem engraved on it hung from the ceilings between two largely crafted windows. This certain emblem consisted of a  
gold lion with all of the six sacred weapons circumscribing it from behind.

Each hallway you passed by also boasted a red carpet of its own, a set of gold lights and perfectly white painted walls. Aside from the carpet, the flooring had its own perplexed impact. Smoothly arranged marble and jade slates of perfect shades colored the floor of the entire castle. Overall, Eisengard castle was not only uniquely and well furnished, but its architectural structure was terrifically designed as well.

Finally, on the seventh floor were two rooms which were separated by a spacious living room – the Princess' quarters and a vacant one.

The room that the two angels were in was of immense quality and space. Stenciled flowering vines decorated the room walls. The valance tassels hung boldly between swags, softened by a green-and-cream silk gingham backdrop. The jewel-tone fringe, detailed cording and tailored tiebacks gave the room a bright, opulent feel.

On the north western area of the room was a large bed, presumably the guests' bed. A sheer white skirt on the bed complemented the matelassé coverlet and lent balance to the café au lait color of the damask that dressed up the padded headboard and footboard, as well as the bedside table.

Cornelia walked from one place to another repeatedly with her head raised in thought. After resulting into confusion, she approached the bed and stared at Cross, who was lying peacefully on the bed. She found that he was alluring to see in his current position. His scarlet cloak was arranged in a way that it covered his nose area to his jaw and that it gave him a dark, mysterious look. The wild black hair that he had was also a perfect match for his ivory-toned face. Cornelia caught herself glancing back at him.

Then, an older angel entered the gloriously lavished room and sat on the corner.

"Why have you ran away?" the older angel inquired.

"I apologize for making you worry. I was trying to complete a mission."

"You should have told me so that our highly trained force could have assisted you."

"Worry not, I am the daughter of a powerful angel aren't I?"

The King smiled lightly at Cornelia before glancing at the angel lying on the bed.

"What am I to do, father?" Cornelia, eyes now on Cross, asked the older angel.

Keinsley looked at his daughter. "Why ask me?" The father had an impression on his face as if a hundred dancing hippos with pink tutus passed him suddenly.

"_Duh! You should be like a role model to me, you old, fat geezer!_" Cornelia thought humorously.

"Well, I'd like to ask someone with more experience and increasing wisdom," she said instead.

The older angel shrugged innocently.

Cornelia sighed and leaned closer to Cross once more to examine the faint bruises on his face.

Suddenly, Cross shot up from his lying position and Cornelia was in the perfect spot.

Voilà, their lips accidentally met that very moment.

Cornelia instantly backed away and placed her fingers on her pink, plump lips. Cross was still unaware of what had happened; he looked at her in the eye, causing her flaming cheeks to blush even more. Cornelia's father still watched from the corner, trying his best not to laugh.

Silence remained between the two as they stared at each other. The older angel decided to break the silence by saying, "Well, I'll be slapped by a darn hippo! This calls for a celebration!"

It was a tradition of the angels of Eisengard that the angel who the Princess has her first kiss with was automatically betrothed to her and eventually marries her afterwards.

"E-excuse me?" Cross really couldn't understand what was going on.

Cornelia's father, Keinsley, explained to Cross the tradition that they had.

"What?!" Cross finally bursted, his eyes wider than usual.

King Keinsley roared in laughter and took his daughter by her shoulders and exited the scene. "Fellow angels of Eisengard, I bring you good news!" his faint voice stated from the balcony overseeing the whole town. Cheering and whistling followed soon after from outside the room where Cross laid. He could also sense that the gods were joining the laughter, as to mock him.

"Oh, gods." Cross banged his head on the stone castle wall.

* * *

**A/N:** No hits. No reviews. Zero. 0. A hole. Sigh. I feel like I'm talking to a ghost, writing a journal that will eventually fade away without anyone even shedding light on it. Alas, if you have read this far, please, please leave a review. It only takes a minute or two of your time but it provides unexplainable joy to authors. Thanks for reading and God bless!


	6. Act 4

Act 4

Unbreakable Oath

Promises are meant to be broken but don't make ones you can't keep.

* * *

_Eisengard's Sanctuary, where angels become one in holy patrimony._

Cross was wearing a white suit with a plaid red tie, marveling in his teenage glory. He stood in front of the altar of the sanctuary before thousands of other angels, seemingly waiting for something. The sanctuary, having stained glass mosaics as large windows, was bathed in heavenly sunlight and glowed a golden orange hue. Its walls were as white as a dove's feather and champagne colored laminated wood served as the flooring. On the first few pews were the close relatives of the female angel Cross was with the past few days.

"This is ridiculous," Cross told the priest angel in front of him.

"And why?" asked the priest.

"It all happened by accident."

"There are no accidents in this world." The priest closed his eyes and smiled.

A commotion started at the rear end of the sanctuary as the bride entered.

Her white complexion radiating with the sunlight, Cornelia wore a white silk backless dress that started at her chest and ended above her toes, leaving an opportunity to show her feet. Running up from her chest and knotted around her neck was a thin lace of fabric attached to the torso of the dress to help her carry the dress as she moved. The dress was embellished with rose embroidery and ornamented with garnets near the hemline, which opened into a slanted V-shape just below her knees. She also had colorless satin gloves which cuffs were loosely tied with diamonds. Her shoes had just the right amount of height and right amount of class. In addition, Cornelia's golden locks were pinned up and her long bangs were traditionally parted in a wavy fashion, effectively boosting her elegance and beauty despite her young age.

Accompanying her by the side was her father, who broke off and took his designated seat when they approached the front of the altar. Cross was able not to lie to himself that Cornelia definitely looked intensely ravishing, but that wasn't enough reason for him to continue on with the ceremony.

Alas, the priest started to declare notions about selflessness and unconditional love but neither Cross nor Cornelia paid attention. Instead, Cross stared blankly at the wall and thought of how he would be able to escape from the situation. Cornelia, on the other hand, suddenly became too shy to say anything.

Finally, the priest's babbling came to halt and questioned Cross, "Do you take Cornelia as your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do not."

"Good," the priest seemed to ignore Cross' decision and asked Cornelia, "Do you, Cornelia, take Cross for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I...do."

Cross snapped his neck to her direction. "What?!"

Cornelia bowed her head sheepishly and avoided Cross' eyes.

"You are now angel and wife."

"Did you not hear what I said-"

"You may now kiss the bride."

"Wait, I do not-"

"You may now kiss the bride."

"Pardon me, but I have to-"

"Kiss the bride."

"Please, I-"

"Kiss her now or I'll be the one who'll kiss you!" screamed the priest.

The crowd laughed out loud openly. They started cheering for Cross to do final step of their unbreakable oath.

"I can't believe this is happening."

"Too overwhelmed with joy, my boy?" the priest asked.

"...No, not that way." Cross later answered.

Sighing, Cross raised his foot and got ready to leave the sanctuary when a pair of hands abruptly seized him by the cheeks. These hands forced him to turn sideways and face their owner, Cornelia, whose eyes were serious amid her blushing. He nearly stared at her tremendous pulchritude.

Cross grabbed on Cornelia's hands to tear them away from his face but she didn't give him that opportunity. Cornelia closed the gap between their faces while Cross struggled to keep his head bowed down. Slowly, she brought her face closer to his, holding his chin up for his face to meet hers.

Then, she pressed her luscious lips softly against his.

A warm, whole-hearted kiss.

Silence.

Cross broke off, feeling harassed. The crowd applauded and whistled then again. When he found the chance to, Cross gave a disgusted look at the shyly flushing Cornelia. He wiped the lipstick off his lips and marched off while Cornelia followed him from behind.

---

_Coral Beach, whose sand is as pure as an angel's heart._

King Keinsley encouraged Cross to take his daughter, Cornelia, to the beach for their honeymoon. Though it sounded and felt idiotic to him, Cross considered the idea in order for him and Cornelia to rest and relax after the intense battles they had experienced. Oddly, he forgot about all the positive things he could think of. Being alone with the girl who gave him headaches wasn't really what he was looking for.

"Why did you abide with the wedding?" Cross demanded an answer.

"What do you mean, honey?" replied Cornelia, tilting her head adorably in confusion.

Cross sat speechless for a moment. "Please do not address me informally as such."

"Okay, hubby."

"Not that either."

"Love?"

"No."

"Sweety-pie?"

"No."

"Teddy bear?" she queried, moving closer to hug him like one.

He moved away even before her fingers touched his arms. "Stop it."

Cornelia sat properly and smiled at him.

"This is ridiculous." Cross closed his eyes to reflect the migraine that was causing him pain.

"Why? Don't you love me anymore?" Her pout was cute enough to make him look at her.

"When did I ever?"

"H-how could you say that?"

"...What?"

"How can you say that, right when we're having our honeymoon?"

"Honeymoon?!"

Cornelia laughed and returned to her usual tone full with attitude. "Do you know what will happen to us if we tell them that we don't really love each other and it all just happened accidentally?"

"Holy judgement. Death."

"Bingo. So, would you rather have that or will you just stick with me until we resolve this situation we're stuck in? It's your choice, really. If you'd ask me, I'd prefer having my soul in my body, thank you."

Cross now comprehended Cornelia's complete foresight, a part of her that he never thought she could have. This made him admire her slightly more.

"Tell me, what did you give up for your Vanquisher? It seems so strong that it makes me wonder what you exchanged for it."

"...."

"Oh, c'mon. You can tell me. We're now married after all."

"Do not remind me of that fact," Cross stated coldly, sounding rather angry.

"Geez, alright, alright. So....?"

"...." He cut eye contact and looked up at the sky.

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you mine first."

Cross recaptured her eyes and listened intently. Cornelia's voice became serious out of a sudden.

"I...gave up my memories for my Vanquisher. I have these dreams of a burning village, dying people and a large cross on which a certain angel is crucified. All my memories before my twelfth birthday is shrouded in darkness."

Cross could not find the right words to say. She looked and seemed to always possess a cheerful mood that he didn't expect her to have a sorrowful, painful past.

"...."

"How about you? It's your turn," she stated with a cheerful smile, no sadness lingering.

"My emotions."

Cornelia felt the weight in those two words of his and dared not continue with her inquisitorial questions and insulting jokes. She knew she would eventually find out and understand the reason behind his sacrifice.

A deafening silence reigned over the two for several moments. All they could hear was the calm splashing of the waves on the beach. It was then cut by the female.

Cornelia noticed Cross' eyes on her. "What are you looking at?"

"...You look beautiful tonight," Cross commented quite randomly yet very charmingly, catching her off guard. He smiled faintly while his eyes reflected the glittering moonlight.

"T-thanks," she responded with a blush as she bashfully scratched the back of her neck.

Cross raised his wine glass in a counter clockwise rotation. "A toast?"

Cornelia followed his gesture and added a cocked eyebrow. "Why not?"

They clashed their glasses and sipped their Merlot wine, enjoying basking in the moonlight as the stars twinkled their hardest to make that night a night they'd never forget.

* * *

**A/N:** I am not bothered by the count of hits anymore. Passion requires not of your own satisfaction for it is satisfaction itself...I think. What I'm trying to say is: it doesn't matter if you get low hits or none at all as long as you're having fun at what you're doing. It may not work for everyone but this is my firm belief. BUT. A big but. They will still make me happy. And I still want to hear your opinion about this story. Is it worth continuing or not? My father bugs me to continue and finish at least one of my stories but I do not see the point in doing it if it's not worth doing so. Again, if anyone is reading, God bless and thank you for reading. You have my word on it.


	7. Act 5

Act 5

False Darkness

Darkness is only a shadow of light, longing to forget its painful past.

* * *

"Your mission..."

"I don't think I can fulfill it anymore."

"When the moon strikes the land at full, punishment shall be on you if you do not complete the mission within that time limit."

"I...I understand."

"Cornelia?" a fatherly voice interrupted her conference with the gods.

Cornelia immediately turned her focus on the door of her room, where her father was standing.

"Cross is leaving," Keinsley stated bluntly.

"W-what?" The female stood up and flew out of her room through the window. She scanned the city from above with a bird's eye view and spotted an angel with black wings outside the castle gates. Angrily, she chased him at full speed, her wings completely recovered. Cornelia landed on the ground just behind him and grabbed his collar.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Cross turned around, and Cornelia placed her hands on her hips.

"Leaving."

"Just like that?"

"I have my own path, and you have yours."

"How about our marriage?"

"Let's postpone the dealing with that matter later on."

"Take me with you."

"...What?"

"We could at least help each other to finish our missions, right?"

"Mine is too dangerous for you to compete in."

"I don't care."

"Besides, I work alone."

Cornelia inhaled deeply. "...Fine, suit yourself."

She turned on her heel and darted in disappointment back to her home, her eyes watery on the way there. "_What was I thinking? We barely know each other anyway_," she ended her thoughts with a long sigh.

On the other hand, Cross continued on his journey west, walking towards the opposite direction of the city of Eisengard. His eyes turned serious, as keen as a crocodile's. He disappeared into the darkness as he moved forward into the jagged mountain path.

Meanwhile, Keinsley and Cornelia were conversing in the castle's main living room.

"He just left?"

"Yes, father."

"What kind of husband is he?"

"The marriage was...caused by an accident anyway-"

"I know that, but still. I can't imagine that his mission is more important than my lovely daughter."

"I don't care about him anyway, geez," Cornelia stammered, throwing her arms into the air before smashing them on the table before her. "I don't even consider him as an acquaintance."

---

"Why did you not bring the female angel with you?" the gods questioned Cross during his trip.

"It is too dangerous; I do not want her to get involved. I...wouldn't be able to forgive myself if any casualty would cause her harm."

"Developing a fondness for her, are we?"

"The gods dare mock an angel?"

"We do possess the authority to."

"I only consider her as an acquaintance."

"Alas, do not neglect your mission. It is vital to Arcadia's retribution."

"That, I know fully well."

Cross took the final climb of the five thousand meter mountain. The lack of oxygen made it difficult for him to make use of his wings and he was forced to climb the east face of the mountain the old way. He heaved himself up on the rocky ledge and pulled himself to his feet. A portal was on the end of the platform.

The portal was the sealed entrance of Artwaltz, the only connection between the land of the gods and the land of the demons. It is where Lucius permeated demons into Arcadia.

"Proceed," the gods confirmed.

"As you wish."

A black vortex opened up from the portal and sucked in everything near it, including Cross. It closed in a snap of the gods' fingers and disappeared from sight.

Later, Cross awoke in another world. A world full of hate, pain and misery - Artwaltz. The connection between him and the gods were cut off by the dark barrier of Artwaltz. Cross concentrated and engraved his mission in his mind. With that, he set foot on the burning land of the demons.

Before he could even take one step further, demons of all sorts attacked him from all directions, giving him no chance to relax. Cross perspicaciously raced to the skies and evaded their ambush. Unusually, he fell back on the ground; his wings were rendered useless by the dark souls of the deep. His power, as well as his health, greatly decreased. Even the demons' howling ringed in his ears like a never ending death harmony. Darkness seeped through his inner being, consuming his very soul.

With that disadvantage, the fiends started feeding off him all at once.

But, a dragonic solar flare disintegrated every demon surrounding the angel. Cross rose from his knees and spread his wings, bearing not the form of an angel, but the form a demonic seraph. More beasts of the underworld sailed towards the Angel of Chaos. No matter how strong they were, each one was defeated by the angel's Vanquisher in one blow.

Cross slowly walked forward until his pace quickened, slashing and evading through the sea of demons before him. One after another, he struck down the demons with no great effort. Finally, he stopped and ended the summoning of his Vanquisher.

"Requiem."

One word. Scorching flames erupted from the ground like a volcano. The thousands of fiends burned to their very deaths. The angel shook his head. "Weaklings."

Cross headed on, making his way to the cliff. From that elevated spot, he saw a large castle shrouded in oblivious darkness - the castle of Lucius, where the ruler of Artwaltz himself resided.

He regained his ability to fly from the countless souls he had reaped. Apart from his emotions, his power as an angel and the strength of his Vanquisher depended on harvested souls. Thus, Cross leaped into the dark skies once more in a single flutter of his black wings, leaving nothing but trails of dust and black feathers.

A similar force field protected the castle of Lucius from aerial invaders. Cross, having no alternative, started on the base of the hundreds of floors. The castle gate guards prepared their axes and flails as Cross stepped foot on the bridge connecting to the gate.

"Foolish demons."

An endless massacre of demons continued on until the six hundredth floor. Tired and weak, Cross reached the last and final floor. There were no demons present near the entrance of the large room before him which what angels and gods believed was Lucius' throne room. At one full breath, he broke the two black doors leading to the room, ready to face the leader of Artwaltz.

But there was nothing.

There was nothing behind the doors but a wall.

"What the...?" Cross' words came to a sudden halt as vines full of thorns strangled his entire body. He was slammed into the wall with such force that almost made him faint. A feminine giggle mocked him as he struggled to escape from the vines.

A female entered the scene from the right staircase, laughing all the more. She wore her long hair as red as blood, while her skin was as perfectly light as it could be. Her eyes seemed innocent and were deeply dark in color. Overall, she was beautiful beyond description, almost rivaling Cornelia's pulchritude. This beauty was only, as angels and gods have perceived, to deceive her enemies.

"Oh, what do we have here?" her voice contained a royal tone that Cross knew of.

"Lorelei..."

"Hmm? You know my name, angel?"

"Curse you, daughter of Lucius."

Lorelei walked towards Cross until she was only inches from him. She stared at him eye to eye, a well-known move of petrification. Cross fought and looked away but Lorelei grasped his chin and forced him to look at her.

"What a handsome angel."

"The gods shall have their revenge on you and your father."

The female demon yawned and weakened her grip on him, canceling the spell. Cross tried to pull his hands out of the vines that constricted him but to not avail, he failed.

"How feisty," Lorelei said, smiling impishly at Cross.

"Tch."

"Which would you rather have? A fast death or a slow and painful one?" she said in a very alluring tone, tempting him into seduction. She caressed his aching muscles but he countered by flailing wildly.

Cross continued on his efforts to break free. The glint in Lorelei's dark eyes meant utter death.

"You evil witch!" screamed Cross.

Lorelei was about to turn her back on him yet his words pulled her back. "Such harsh words." Cross glared as hard as he could at her.

"Are you not satisfied enough that I'm letting you live?" asked the demon princess.

The vines that kept him prisoner no longer harmed him from the instant Lorelei's statement ended. They withered into black particles and Cross fell to the ground, landing in kneeling position. Cross was starting to be bashed by confusion. It was a lie to deceive him, he thought. Nonetheless, he kept alert and awaited her next move but to his disappointment, she only stood there and stared at him.

"Are you not going to kill me?" mocked the angel.

"No, unless you want me to."

"....Why?"

"Unlike my stupid father who is blinded by complete darkness, I do not find pleasure in feeding off souls. If I still did, you would be an exception to my list of hunted angels."

"And that is because?"

"Let's say that I find you interesting."

Cross almost laughed. "Are you not bothered that I have come to destroy your kingdom?"

"Do as you wish, but do not expect me to hold up a weak fight."

"Very well, then."

Cross got on his feet and summoned Chaos into his right hand. His first attack missed with Lorelei avoiding gracefully and skillfully. The rest of his attempts ended likewise. From fighting continuously for six hundred floors of demons, Cross was lacking the energy to put up a better fight.

"Tired already?" Lorelei asked in a smug tone.

"Not until I finish you off."

Cross lunged once more in attack. Lorelei caught his attacking arm and destroyed Chaos in one touch. She spun Cross around to face her and cornered him into the same wall. Cross gulped, almost feeling fear even though it was not possible for him to. He was outmatched by Lucius' daughter even if he had all the energy that he had from the beginning. She was just too skilled, agile and powerful.

Lorelei held Cross by the neck, making him powerless from her grip.

"Choose your finale: shall I strangle you to death? Stab you repeatedly until you run out of blood? Or should I give you a kiss of death?" she asked him, her grin emanating disguised darkness.

Cross felt his whole body go numb. He couldn't even try to take her hand off his neck. His oxygen intake was becoming less every second, dragging him slowly but surely into his death.

Staring at him devilishly, she ratified, "I think I'll go with the latter."

Out of nowhere, a crimson spear flew from behind Lorelei. Unfortunately, she evaded and only a part of her black laced dress was damaged in the process.

"You nasty little pest!" Lorelei was angered by Cross' attempt of counterattack that she slammed Cross into the wall harder. The stone wall cracked upon impact and Cross' vision deteriorated from the impacts of her attacks. His eyes shut, admitting to himself that he was willingly accepting his death in the hands of the demon princess.

Lorelei threw him to the ground like a lifeless doll. Cross, with his last breath, defiantly struggled to get on his knees.

"Still standing? How unbelievable."

"I shall fight until my heart beats no more."

"Such stubbornness is stupidity."

"Perhaps so. But a man who never gives up is never defeated, even amidst death."

Cross, legs shaking, painfully stood up and summoned his partly recovered Vanquisher.

He had known that Lorelei was the princess of illusions; she had to power to manipulate everything as long as there was fear in the heart of the enemy. His mindset was fixed that his attacks would hit her, rather than thinking that she would just avoid it like she had done previously. Filling himself with renewed hope, he lunged forward and attacked.

Consequently, Cross was almost able to slash Lorelei with his new tactic.

"_Darn it, he figured it out_," the demon princess thought.

She fixed her eyes on him but suddenly, he vanished into a blaze of crimson without trace in a blink of her eyes. A pair of hands impaled her on the wall. Cross held up Chaos to her neck afterwards.

"Checkmate."

"Go, finish me."

Chaos dispersed into blue glowing particles as Cross turned his back on his enemy.

"Why did you not kill me? It was what you came here for, isn't it?"

"I have come to end the war, not to end lives. But what I am looking for does not seem to be here."

"What if I come and strike you while you have your back turned?"

"So be it," Cross stated, walking towards the stairs.

Lorelei was gifted with confusion by the angel's words. He truly was not unlike any other, causing her to find him more intriguing and mysterious. She was now curious if the other angels were like him.

"Until we meet again." Cross descended down the dark staircase, leaving Lorelei.

* * *

**A/N:** If you have made it this far, I congratulate you and your patience. It fills my heart that someone is actually bearing with this literary piece though it may be boring. Wait, is there anyone out there? I don't think so. lol. A review would be nice. And FYI, a review doesn't mean a WHOLE review. It may be just a short comment or praise, a honest suggestion or criticism. All of these are deeply appreciated, as long they're honest and pure in intent.


	8. Act 6

**Author's Notes**: Woah. BlackAngelAkasuna, seriously, THANKS for that review. I had to update ASAP, as you have wanted, and unfortunately missed a chance to study for our test tomorrow about Chemistry (Ionization, Acids & bases, et hoc genus omne). Not like I care. Somewhat. Anyway, just when I thought I would have to wait for a year or so, you came and gave me that wonderful thing called a review. Awesome. Simply awesome. ...And I finally made someone laugh? *Cries in sheer joy* Also, sorry about Cross. I just recently noticed that he's somewhat like Vincent. All that aside, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Act 6

Seedling of Love

Affections are like lightning; you cannot tell where they will strike 'til they have fallen.

* * *

_Eisengard, one of the four cities that angels built and governed after the Exodus._

The sun repeatedly set without shedding joy on Eisengard castle; the days passed dully and with no life. Cornelia waited for Cross to come back. Day by day, she stared outside the window of her room, wishing that he'd return. Finally, her wish came true.

"Cross is back," Keinsley noticed.

Cornelia instantaneously rose from her ruby engraved chair. "Really?"

Keinsley looked at his daughter with an arched eyebrow.

"I-I mean...who cares," she turned her head in denial, taking her seat.

The King laughed and dragged her unwilling daughter out of her quarters to meet her husband. Cross was indeed back from his mission, which he failed, and stopped by Eisengard Castle.

Cornelia gasped upon seeing the wounds and cuts all over Cross' body. She ran to him in worry.

"What happened to you?"

He seemed to ignore her and walk by without looking at her. Cross nodded at Keinsley, which was his way of asking if he could stay for the day, before passing under the marbled slate arc and disappearing into the castle.

Cross slowly sat down on his bed upstairs, careful not to cause pain on himself. Cornelia came rushing towards him with a bunch of medications. She placed them down beside him before attempting to apply some on Cross' wounds. Cross stood up and increased the distance between them, while Cornelia bowed her head down, feeling pain and rejection.

"I do not need your help."

"...Why?" She faced him, her eyes ready to tear any moment. "You just left a few days ago without saying anything and you'd expect me not to worry? I know we have met each other only a few days before but you still should consider me as a friend, right? You could at least let me help you."

"Friend? I do not have such a foolish thing."

Cornelia sighed and looked at him, folding her arms over her chest.

She huffed loudly, "Stop being an ass and come here!" Her soft and calm side had faded and now it was her harsh, demanding nature's turn. Cross shifted a bit, not knowing what to do with the sudden turn of her attitude. Scratching her head in annoyance, Cornelia took Cross and dragged him to the bed, holding his limbs tightly so that he would not move.

"Let go of me, woman!"

"Behave!"

"W-wait! Please, d-don't!" screamed Cross, accompanying the loud pounding of feet against the wooden laminated planks of the Princess' quarters.

"Come here!"

"A-Ahh! No, d-dont do this, please!"

Keinsley, overhearing the voices and sounds from the room, was entertaining explicit images in his brain of what was happening inside. At the same time, he was enjoying a drink with his long time friend, Marxell.

"Such a feisty couple," commented Marxell.

"Indeed. I bet Cornelia's tearing off Cross' clothes by now."

Marxell almost choked on his martini. Keinsley roared in laughter.

Suddenly, Cross bursted into the living room with the loud bang of the door opening, stumbled upon the table and accidentally interrupted the two fathers. Marxell's eyes widened at seeing the shirtless angel, not able to believe that what he thought was a joke was truly happening. Keinsley continued with his laughter on the other hand.

An annoyed Cornelia came flying after Cross. She dragged him by the leg back to the room while Cross was desperately trying to grab on to things while he was being pulled along the floor. He got a hold of the table and pulled it until the door of the room, leaving the two fathers laughing their butts off.

"Please, don't do this!"

The two older angels heard the door slam behind them, followed by the fast clicking sound of a door's lock being fastened and a "Dear god, no!" from Cross. Keinsley let out a guffaw, not able to contain the laughter anymore.

"Go easy on him, Cornelia! We wouldn't want to fill this house with babies," shouted Keinsley.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Cross got on his feet and hurried to the door. He knocked as loud as he could but unfortunately, he was replied by two laughing fathers. Cornelia pulled him back to the bed after discarding the key to the door's lock.

"What the heck's wrong with you?" Cornelia asked, slightly laughing.

Cross' hair was all messed up and he appeared to be afraid.

"Isn't this what you want?" she inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

"Never shall I desire something as such."

"What's wrong with it?"

"I..."

"Don't tell me you have a phobia on band-aids."

"Just...do not put those strawberry designed ones, please."

Cornelia now understood, giggling once more. "They would look good on you."

"No!"

She laughed at his childishness. "I never knew you had this side of you."

Cross took her words very seriously and composed himself. He was not acting like himself, the male realized. Breathing slowly, he went back to his former calm, reserved and stoic self.

What a mistake. A huge mistake.

A few minutes later, Keinsley fell off his chair upon seeing Cross as he and Cornelia entered the living room. Marxell also shared the same.

Cross was bombarded with strawberry and pink colored bandages all over. He had his hand slapped on his face, seemingly covering himself from embarrassment. Cornelia joyfully skipped behind him while petting his hair. It seemed to them that Cross' manliness was spat on by Goblins, trampled by Golems and shat upon by Griffins.

Cornelia made Cross sit on the dining table before she brought him a bowl of chowder from the kitchen full of busy professional culinary chefs.

"Here, I made this for you."

"Thank you," he said with a nod.

Cross took a few spoonfuls of the soup to give warmth to his stomach. Cornelia sat on the chair opposite him, and she stared at him all the while.

"Excuse me," muttered Cross, stopping Cornelia's ogling.

"Why? Is it rude to stare?"

"Actually, it is."

"Well, who gives a damn. You're my hubby anyway."

Cross hid a smirk by taking another serving. He told her, "The soup is good."

He raised the spoon up to his eye level to let Cornelia see the contents before asking, "What are these round, soft and juicy things? Clams?"

"No, they're chicken testicles."

Cross face went blank as he felt his stomach turn upside down. Eventually, Cornelia interrupted him before he was able to vomit, "I'm just joking!" She laughed. "They're clams."

Cross stared at the cream-colored, unusually shaped objects floating on his soup. Cornelia continued to laugh as Cross tried his best to regain the appetite that he had. The look on Cross' face was totally worth it, thought Cornelia, even though he would end up being angry at her afterwards. When Cross was almost done with the bowl, Cornelia took out a rod shaped figure and showed it to him.

"That is?" Cross asked. Then, he took the bowl and sipped the remaining content, blocking his peripheral view.

"A pregnancy test. We're gonna have a baby!" Cornelia cheerfully stated.

Cross half choked half spat the content in his mouth.

"WHAT?!"

Cornelia laughed and ran out of the room as an irritated Cross came running after her.

The day ended as the two angels watched the sunset. Fixing their eyes of the orange semicircle of light full of hope and promises of another day, they stood on Cornelia's balcony.

"Cross?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"I missed you. A lot."

He nodded knowingly.

"Promise me you won't leave me again."

"As you wish."

Cornelia turned her head to face Cross and gave him a sweet smile. He faintly smiled at her, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

* * *

A/N: Did I succeed in humor? Epic fail? You decide. As my usual routine with A/Ns go, thanks for reading and I pray that you'll turn to the next chapter. God bless!


	9. Act 7

**Author's Notes:** Darn, I expected at least another hit. Maybe I'm having unattainable goals and expectations that are too high. Sigh. Sigh. Siiiiiiigh. I had a lot of trouble writing this one so I apologize for any mistakes. If you don't like this chapter, I'm sorry. This is my third or fourth revision on this act but I just can't seem to get it right. I think I failed miserably on characterization too. God, please help me. ._. Meh, just go ahead and read. That's what you're here for, right?

Act 7

Broken Bond

Nothing lasts forever in the world, even love.

* * *

_Deep within Arcadia, the realm of the gods._

"The preparations are almost complete," a wingless entity said.

"Good, good," the gods replied.

"Only a few more souls are needed for it to finish."

The gods huffed in unison, "Other results?"

"The angel is regaining his emotions, one by one. He and the other one have intertwined their destinies."

"Impossible."

Faded images of a black haired angel and another one with golden locks flashed in the darkness.

The gods' eyes widened in shock. "We failed to foresee the possibility of this. We must take care of this problem before he reclaims justice, the sight of what is right and what is wrong."

"Leave it to me."

---

_Knossus, the first of the four cities that angels built and governed after the Exodus._

An invigorating celebration welcomed the royal family of Eisengard as they entered the kingdom of Knossus through a realm of stone arcs. The townspeople bowed and cheered as Keinsley, Cornelia and Cross were passing along the granite road while mounted on white horses. The multitude of angels crowded the road into a single aisle and paved the way to the castle.

Saluting in attention and respect, the guards of Knossus castle lowered the gates and let them pass. The three, along with royal guards of their own, unmounted from their horses and proceeded to the royal chamber.

Only the members of the royal family were first permitted to enter the royal chamber. A loud creaking sound followed the closing of the massive steel crested doors. White furnishings flashed like pearls and gave the room a luxurious atmosphere. A female, around the age of Cornelia, having a fair complexion and moderately long midnight locks was seated on the throne crafted from the finest of red spinels with her flawless legs crossed. Her cheeks were round and slightly bulging, making any male refer her as cute and adorable. Her lengthy silk gown and white snow-like coat left little skin exposed. Peering at them through soft hazel eyes, the female stood up and descended from the elevated platform where the throne rested.

"Welcome to Knossus," she addressed to the King and the Princess of Eisengard, an enameled gold bracing amethyst necklace dangling from her neck.

Keinsley grinned and responded, "It's a pleasure."

The two shook hands before the female courteously led them to three chairs built from oak, with a straight back, turned legs and curved arms, finished with eagle carvings as ornaments.

"Princess Rozalin, I have come to share good news," the King of Eisengard voiced out.

The female nodded sternly but her sweet and innocent façade engulfed her eagerness to be serious. "Yes, what is it?"

"My daughter has finally wed."

"With whom?" Rozalin's round, bubbly eyes grew large in curiosity.

Keinsley positioned an open palm at Cross' direction as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "With that young man."

"Cross. It is of great honor to meet the Princess of Knossus," he professionally introduced himself. The Princess with matching locks smiled sweetly and caught his open hand for a handshake.

"Before we press on with this conversation, we might as well have lunch. I'm sure Cross is looking forward to taste Knossus' best dishes," she ratified with the same bright smile, her innocence still intact.

Keinsley hummed an old Eisengard tune as he made his way out of the royal chamber. Cornelia followed him after he gave her a prod, leaving Cross and Rozalin. The Princess of Knossus stood up as Cross eyes' followed her. She gave him a naughty wink and a lip curl to the side of her lips, ending with an impish grin before she concluded to exit the scene. Cross, in turn, knocked himself with confusion when baffling shivers went up his spine.

The conversation continued as everyone was present in the dining hall. As all of the other sectors of the castle were, the dining hall was immensely extravagant. These riches belonged to the late King Lourse, the father of Princess Rozalin. Unlike her father, Rozalin preferred simpler things than complex and ones which required heavy amounts of gold. She had represented the city of Knossus as a symbol of innocence and hope.

Three six inch taper candles rested on a gold mount. These gold mounts were arranged on the extensive rosewood table that shone a dark reddish brown and included a distinct fragrance. The chairs were made of a similar structure of curves and carvings. Rozalin picked the head chair while the other angels simply sat and were spread randomly. A full buffet of roasted suckling pig, glazed ribs, naturally grown greens and freshly caught seafood were presented to the three guests. Tempted by the scrumptious food in front of him, Keinsley immediately filled his plate with whatever his mouth wanted. Cornelia only trailed her father's actions after Rozalin considerately gestured her to do so. Rozalin pleasantly held a smile all the while.

While the others were enjoying themselves, Rozalin kept her plate free of stains. She only spent her time smiling at the guests and occasionally glancing at Cross, who became uncomfortable after her superfluous gesticulations earlier. She also noticed that he similarly had neither touched his spoon nor fork.

Rozalin tilted her head and asked him in a worried tone, "Don't you like the choices of meals?"

"Pardon me, but that is not the reason."

"Then, by all means, enlighten me with your rationale."

"Though the food is of splendid quality, I am simply not hungry."

Rozalin shook her head before she picked her fork up, pierced a slab of meat and placed it in front of Cross' mouth. "Eat up."

The other members of the table were watching intently at what seemed like a new development between their kingdom's Princess and her favored angel.

Gazing at him with pure eyes, Rozalin held the fork firmly. Finally, Cross took the piece of meat of the fork by biting it, making Rozalin grin happily. Azusa Yumi was suddenly summoned below the table without any noticing. Cornelia's nerves were bulging and she could not let this proceed any further. She dispersed her Vanquisher and walked around the table to Cross. She lifted his chin and gave him a kiss. Rozalin gasped amidst the cheering and whistling of the other angels. Cross broke off and pushed her away prior to leaving the room in a huff. Rozalin smirked to herself upon seeing Cornelia run after Cross.

The two angels stopped in the middle of the empty hall.

Cross looked at her from behind his shoulder. "What you did was uncalled for."

"I'm sorry but I need to let them see that-"

"Yes, I know. I also know that all you care about is yourself."

"What?" Her eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"Your actions were too rash."

"And so?"

"...You see that?"

Cross shook his head and walked off. Cornelia had to run to catch up with his long strides. Angrily, she spun him around to her direction and pointed an accusing finger in his face.

"Look here, Mr. Smartypants. I'm doing this for the benefit of both of us, capiche?"

Cross cocked an eyebrow.

"And how dare you say that all I think about is myself?! Have you forgotten that potion I made you and the bed you comfortably laid on? I had to carry your big fat butt all the way here from gods-know-where just to make sure that you wouldn't be in any more harm."

"You-"

"I thought you understood and knew me but I've realized that you don't. I thought you cared and respected the feelings of others but here I am, living as the opposite proof of that."

"Let me-"

"You were right all along. We're nothing but acquaintances. No, even less than that. I hope you're happy now because I'll ask my father for divorce right after I get home. The hell with Holy judgement. Let me die if they want. That's what you've always wanted, right? You have your own path, and I have mine."

Cornelia, bearing tears running down her cheeks, barreled past him and left Knossus castle. Cross stayed on the same spot, staring at where Cornelia previously stood.

---

The whole party returned to Eisengard after hearing of Cornelia's sudden disappearance. They sent their best regards to Rozalin before doing so. Cross, perplexed, remained silent the entire trip.


	10. Act 8

**Author's Notes**: To my most faithful reader, BlackAngelAkasuna: thank you so much for your continuous support for this. Probably, you're the only one who likes this...er...but I might as well give you a hug. Back to serious matters, or in this case not so serious....I had so much fun in writing this chapter. May you also laugh as I did while creating this part of the novel. Well, enjoy reading.

All Rights Reserved 2010.

Act 8

Reprise

Love can mend broken hearts, even if they're shattered like glass.

* * *

_Rusty Glass, a renowned tavern in Eisengard where angels from all around the world drink, have business and waste their time as the hourglass stops, even for a little while._

Cross entered through the double doors and found himself inside a different world. The tavern's interior contrasted with the bright city of Eisengard; only flashing lines of green, blue, yellow and red lighted the area and chatter filled the air, unlike the usually peaceful streets. He made his way around the tables filled with wine bottles, shot glasses and busy angels.

The bartender gave him a nod. "What'll you have?"

"...Water, just water."

The bartender raised his eyebrows in surprise. "On the rocks?"

"Sure."

Taking out a glass, the bartender went and prepared his drink. Waiting, Cross sat on the stool in front of the counter and closed his eyes. Loud dance music didn't really suit him well.

He caught the glass of water with no such difficulty as it slid along the smooth counter top. Cross took a sip of his refreshment before swirling his glass unconsciously.

"Cross? In a bar? The gods must have grown crazy," a faint voice greeted from behind. An ebony haired angel with a medium built sat on the stool beside him. Being a regular customer, he was immediately served his usual – a strong scotch whiskey.

"Malice," Cross pronounced blankly.

"Haven't seen you in quite a while. How long has it been? Three months?"

"Two years," he corrected, taking a small gulp.

"I heard you got married with some blonde angel."

"Yes, I did. It...was an accident." Cross didn't bother keeping it a secret.

"Doesn't matter. Princess Cornelia, was it?"

Cross nodded.

"She sure is a pretty one. Hell of a rich one, too."

"Is that all you care about?" Cross drew out his words coldly.

"No need to get mad about that, do we?"

"Hmph."

"So, do you agree with me?"

"Agree with what?"

"That she's a pretty one."

"...Maybe." Cross took another sip.

His childhood companion downed his whiskey in one go. "You like her, don't you?"

"It was an accident, how would I?"

"I think she'd be good for you."

"I think it'd be better if you shut up."

"Woah, chill... Wait, what happened to your language? You don't sound so formal anymore."

"Say what you want."

"Maybe she's rubbing off on you already?"

"And how, pray, did you conclude that her language is different from mine?"

"Of course I know. I know everything."

"Sure."

Malice looked around. "By the way, where is she?"

"Neither do I know nor care," he said frankly, his words sending a command to drop the subject.

"You had a fight?"

"...No."

"Still denying little facts, until now." Malice shook his head.

"It does not concern you."

"You ungrateful bastard, if you don't see how lucky you are to have her, there are a lot of men waiting in line to take her hand in marriage. And they'd just abuse her. You, on the other hand, will surely treat her well and satisfy her deepest desires. I'm confident with that."

"Lucky? Do you not mean unfortunate?"

"Don't make me smash my glass on your head, Cross."

The bartender refilled Malice's glass as he raised it up. Cross fixed his eyes at the wall.

"Aren't you gonna go and apologize to her, you dimwit?"

"Watch what comes out from your mouth before you regret it."

"As prideful and taciturn as always."

Cross watched droplets of water run down the face of the crystalline glass as the ice inside it melted slowly. He soon emptied the glass and slammed it on the counter, causing the bartender to be slightly frightened at his sudden actions and intimidating glare.

"Are you gonna do something about it or what?"

"It was not my fault to start with."

"Gods, your skull is as thick as the Gate of Heaven."

"So is yours."

"Let's have a deal," Malice said while taking out a knitted pouch overflowing with garnets, "you go and apologize and I'll give you these babies."

"What importance do you find in my relationship with her?"

"Well, I don't think any girl would fit you better than her. I'm doing this for your own good."

"You sound more like a mother than a brother."

Malice cursed and scratched his forehead irritably. "Are you going to do it or not?"

"Fine, fine. In exchange, let us continue our unfinished duel."

"How about the garnets?"

"I do not need such jewelry."

"They're not for you dumb butt. They're for Cornelia, dude."

"And why would I?"

"Simple, to make her happy."

"I do not think she is materialistic. Besides, she possesses the riches to buy uncountable proportions of those."

"You know, I'm starting to get tired of the way you think."

"...I'll take that as a complement."

"Oh yeah, before I forget, you'll do it my way."

"Do what your way?"

"I'll teach you and make sure you don't get rejected."

---

_Eisengard's Castle._

"This is foolish and a waste of my time," Cross stated as he rose to leave before a pair of hands gripped his shoulders and forced him to remain seated.

"Sit your butt down, Cross," Malice's gruff voice came from behind.

Cross sighed and crossed his arms, looking very disgruntled.

"Since we all know how you love that little brat-"

"Cornelia is not a brat," he responded immediately before he could catch himself. "And I do not love her," Cross added quickly as Malice's triumphant grin became more pronounced.

"Liar," Malice, Keinsley and even the gods said in unison.

Cross scowled at them both physically and mentally and kept his arms crossed in defense. A distinct air of sullenness covered him as he was being lectured about apologizing.

"First off, let me hear your speech."

Cross shifted in his varnished Nara chair. "I apologize."

"..."

"...I'm done."

"That's it?"

Cross nodded.

"Awesome!" Malice insulted and laughed, "No wonder you suck with ladies."

Keinsley, glancing at Malice, told Cross, "We'll work on that later. When she accepts your apology, you should hug her." Malice gave Cross a thumbs up in agreement.

"A demo would be helpful," added Keinsley.

Cross looked at Cornelia's father in utter disgust. Any form of physical contact made him uncomfortable. Malice, who seemed to be thrilled with the idea, stood up and approached Cross.

"Let's hug. A manly one."

"Gross."

"Don't mind me. Just close your eyes and think of Cornelia."

"Worse."

"Just do it, dude!"

"...Fine."

So, Cross stood up and reluctantly spread his arms and placed his hands behind Malice's back. It felt weird, especially doing it with a fellow male. Well, doing it with a female would make him much more uncomfortable. Apparently, Malice was looking quite comfortable while being in that position. Cross let go instantly but Malice, trying his best to feel Cross' hard pectoral and abdominal muscles, was still hugging him.

"Uh, you can stop now," reminded Cross.

Malice closed his eyes and rested his head on Cross' shoulder. He ran his hands against Cross' hard shoulder blades. "Oh, baby," he moaned.

"_What the hell?_" screamed Cross' mind.

Malice's hands went lower and lower until Cross' buttocks.

"Woah, your hands!" Cross resented wildly. He pushed his childhood comrade away, feeling molested over the edge. Malice coughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry, man. I was thinking of Cornelia," the ebony haired angel apologized. Keinsley knew that was a huge lie and managed to suppress a guffaw.

Cross narrowed his eyes as a shiver went up his spine.

Furthermore, the King went on with his recommendations. "Next, you could kiss her to show that you really mean it." Malice raised his smug eyebrows repeatedly at Cross, making Keinsley laugh.

"I am _not _going to kiss her."

Grinning, Malice nodded and continued, "Well, let's practice anyway."

Cross, his voice softened by slight horror and nervousness, commented, "Very funny, Malice."

Malice formed his lips and chased Cross, who immediately fled. They reached the first floor in their game of tag. Cross was on one side of the table while Malice was on the opposite side, ready to attack if he were given the chance.

"A little practice wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"Y-you're acting unusually strange today."

"Come here, daddy!" Malice shouted, his voice several octaves higher, before jumping over the table at Cross' direction. Fortunately, Cross evaded quickly in terror and Malice fell on the floor flatly. He escaped from the room and headed for the exit. Flinging the door open, he bumped into Cornelia.

"My apologies," Cross asked for forgiveness for his carelessness.

Cornelia raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. "It's not that easy to forgive."

Cross ignored this and glanced behind his back. He was being chased down by a crazed, horny, hormonal homosexual who had the potential to do nasty things to him. For the meantime, Malice was nowhere to be found. Cross allowed himself a sigh of relief. Returning his focus to Cornelia, he locked eyes with her.

"About what happened yesterday..."Cross started.

Cornelia crossed her arms, ready to listen to an apology.

"I-"

THUD.

Running and falling off balance, Malice came from behind and accidentally pushed Cross forward, causing Cross to almost kiss Cornelia. Luckily, Cross was able push her away before their lips met. Malice, now on the floor, looked at the couple and laughed.

Cornelia slapped Cross in reflex though she felt increasingly regretful later. "How dare you!"

Cross glanced at Malice. "He pushed me!"

"Stop with your excuses!"

Malice stood up and cut the arising argument short. "Listen up. Cross came here to say that he's sorry for the way he acted yesterday. He knows that he's stupid and what he did was wrong."

"I am not," he refuted.

"He is a stupid, idiotic angel who doesn't see that his actions can hurt others' feelings."

"I am not."

"As your husband, he wants to make you as happy as much as he can."

Cornelia's glare softened into a cute pout pointed at Cross. "R-really?"

Cross was as blunt as a hammer. "No."

Cornelia's smile slipped off her face in a second. Malice pursued anyway, "Needless to say, he also finds you mouth-wateringly attractive-"

"Hey! What the hell?" Cross shouted.

"-and he can't start his days without you. You're like his bread and butter. Your hubby here is just a bit too retarded to admit it to himself, right Cross?" Malice grinned at his comrade.

"_That simile had no sense at all,_" he thought as he fired, "Heck no."

"See?" Malice asked for her opinion, looking at her triumphantly.

"Well..." Cornelia thought aloud.

Malice slapped his forehead in annoyance. "Just make-up already, for crying out loud."

Cross placed his hands on Cornelia's shoulders, slightly startling her. He looked deep down into her aquamarine eyes in deadly ernest as his grip on her shoulders became tighter. Cornelia couldn't help but to flush madly from all the pressure he was giving her.

"I truly am sorry for the things that I have done and the words that I have said which might have offended you."

She almost melted as Cross moved his fingers gently down from her shoulders to her arms. She would've shuddered in pleasure if he was kind enough to repeat it another two to three times, her skin burning as he touched her. His grip loosened to the extent that it made her comfortable, that she wanted him to always hold her.

Cornelia tried to swallow but Cross was suddenly so close to her. Cornelia suppressed a shiver upon feeling his breath on her lips, his proximity making her heart beat faster, so much that she was afraid it'd beat right out of her chest. She eventually drowned in his eyes and felt her knees become limp in his hands. All thoughts slipped away as Cross leaned closer to her, backing her into the wall. Her eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips from time to time.

Bad enough that she couldn't breathe, speak, swallow or hear anything outside of her own painfully thudding heartbeat. Her legs felt like jelly as he slipped one of his hands to her perfectly arched back.

"Would you...forgive me?" he said behind her ear in his low voice that tempted her senses.

"O-of course," she choked out as the heat in her cheeks worsened.

Since that was done, Cornelia took Cross' hands off of her and scrambled away in fear that she'd do something stupid or outrageous if it would happen that she'd lose control over herself. She ran back up to her room to get rid of her reddening cheeks, leaving a confused Cross.

"Damn, that was awesome," commented Malice, along with placing his hand on Cross' back.

Cross immediately sensed an uncomfortable feeling and swatted his hand away. "Do not ever talk to me about it." Cross shook his head, not being able to believe what he had just done.

Malice gave him the repeated raising of eyebrows. "You know, you turn me on quite well."

Cross nearly vomited. "Disgusting." Reviewing his actions, Cross glanced at the homosexual beside him and whispered, "Hold on, why am I the one apologizing again?"

"Do you want me to give you another hug?" Malice answered with smug eyebrows arched.

"N-no thanks, I think I remember now," he nervously responded and stepped away from him.

Keinsley stood from across the room. A jovial grin was on his face.

* * *

**A/N**: Did you like it? Leave a review to enlighten me. Thanks!


	11. Act 9

**Author's Notes:** Hi all! Happy Valentines Day. Whoever you may be with, may all of you be happy this Valentine's, unlike me. To Angel of Masquerades, I apologize if I had offended you in some way. Really sorry. Thanks for the clarification too. I'm terribly regretful not putting up a Valentine's chapter for this story. Instead, I managed to come up with this....sadistic chapter. -.-'' Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this nonetheless.

Act 9

Unfathomable Chaos

Chaos, unlike Harmony, dwells on the negative emotions of incoherent beings.

* * *

_Unknown location._

"Arise, angel."

Cross woke up to an empty, dark void. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing. All he could feel was darkness and an extreme pain that did not falter.

"You have failed your last task."

"Yes, I have."

"We have one more mission for you."

"And that is?"

"Go to Coral Beach and eradicate the great demon that has spawned there."

"_Coral beach?_" he thought, not able to believe what he had heard. "Pardon?"

"Do not ask the gods to repeat their statements."

"I apologize."

"You should. Alas, do not fail us. Go and proceed with your mission."

Cross blinked and he was back in his room inside Eisengard's castle once more, lying on his bed. The first thing, or person rather, that he saw was Cornelia. Her left hand was laid against his chest while her right one was on his cheek. It felt nice, her hand being soft and warm. Then again, he wanted to smack himself from feeling such an awkward feeling. To make things more complicated, her body was far too close to his. She was pressed against him tightly and her face was only inches from his. He didn't only hear her heartbeat, but he could also _feel_ it throbbing against his chest. Even his own hands surprised him by being located around Cornelia's back and right hip. Cross noticed all this in less than a nanosecond.

"Gah!" he shrieked in total panic, waking her up.

While Cross threw himself off the bed, literally, Cornelia yawned and stretched her limbs. "Good morning, my hunky lovely-dovey hubby," she greeted cheerfully.

"W-why are you here?!" he asked in fear.

"What do you mean? You were the one who dragged me here last night."

"W-what?!"

"You kept me up all night, you know that?" An impish grin was on her face.

Cross eyebrow twitched.

She chuckled softly and winked. "I liked it though."

The twitching became harder.

If she went any further, Cornelia assumed Cross would go crazy. "Relax, I'm just pulling your leg. You took so long to wake up and I fell asleep while watching you."

"And how did we end up in that position?"

"Uh..." she started to blush. "H-how should I know?"

Cross nodded and stood up, fully reclaiming the state of a taciturn.

"Where are you going?" asked his sixteen year old wife.

"Leaving," replied the sixteen year old husband.

She pleaded with puppy dog eyes, "Can I come along?"

"As long as you take care of yourself," he said before slamming the door shut.

Cornelia was expecting herself to ask and beg him ten more times before he would let her come with him but Cross managed to surprise her again. She picked herself up from his bed and ran after him.

"Wait a minute, where are we going?" she asked as she opened the door.

"Coral beach."

"Aww... You're taking me to our honeymoon place? How sweet."

"...You disgust me," he said as he shook his head, heading down the stairs.

"H-hey! ...That hurt." Cornelia pursed her lips in a pout.

Later, Cornelia rushed to the main door of their mansion and saw Cross waiting for her. He was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, but his eyes opened and widened as she cheerfully came skipping toward him with a large amount of luggage.

"What are those for?"

"We're leaving on a vacation, aren't we?" she clarified, beaming at him.

"No, for a mission."

"Aww." Her hopes and dreams were crushed by three mere words.

"Are you coming or not?" Cross asked as he opened the doors widely.

Cornelia dropped her luggages forcibly on the floor and displayed a pout. She'd been pouting so much all day that it was possible for her face to elongate afterwards. He placed his hands on her shoulders from behind, forcing her to catch her breath. "After you."

She bowed gracefully before him and started walking. Cross eventually followed her after bidding farewell to Keinsley and vowing to take care of the Princess.

---

_Coral Beach, whose sand is as pure as an angel's heart and whose heart is as dark as a demon's._

Cornelia wiped her sweaty forehead with a face towel. "GAWD! Why is it so freaking hot?" Cross silently followed her footsteps from behind, cautiously looking around from the corner of his eye.

"There aren't any demons here, anyway. Let's head back." Cornelia turned on her heel to leave but was pulled around by Cross. "Stay focused," he said in his low, deep voice. Cornelia hung her head down as fatigue crept up to her slowly. She took out her tin canteen and drank the rest of its remaining water but that still was not enough to quench her dehydration. Cross noticed this and pensively handed her his, even though he was quite dehydrated himself. At first, Cornelia was reluctant to accept his offer but he made her take it, so she obeyed and drank a bit of his share in the end.

"Thanks," she said, handing the canteen over to its rightful owner. Cross received it with his free hand and attached it to his belt with a chain. Surprisingly, Cornelia took his hand and squeezed it tightly, never letting it go. He glanced at her and noticed that she was flushing, thought it was only faintly visible because of the harsh sun's rays.

"I feel more safe. Got any problem with that?" she provided an answer to a question he never asked, feeling defensive about her actions. Cross just smirked and continued on. She smiled behind her golden hair, which cascaded over half her face, when Cross didn't retract his hand due to physical contact.

They walked along the shore, with the calm waves splashing in a soothing repetition. The summer breeze whipped their hair and the flour like sand sunk beneath their feet. Fully appreciating the moment they were in, Cornelia rested her head on Cross' shoulder. Unusually, he didn't mind, delighting her even more. How she wished Cross would remain as open as he was that moment.

"Oh yeah, about you owing me and stuff."

"Yes?" Cross was slightly distracted by Cornelia's language and choice of words.

"Promise me that you'll come for me when I need you the most."

"That sounds-"

"Childish, I know," she interrupted, "but seriously, it's what I've thought about."

"But..."

"Just promise me."

Her serious blue eyes locked with his. Somehow, they convinced him.

"I promise."

Cornelia smiled at him and wagged her hand that was clenched with his.

Out of nowhere, Cross took back his hand and shoved her away, like in previous occurrence. A lobster as large as Marxell's mansion emerged from where Cornelia formerly stood, with the sand running down its bright, lustrous red shell.

"L-l-lobster?!" Cornelia rubber her eyes, mouth watering.

"It's not a demon, just a morphed creature."

Cross summoned Chaos and brought fire upon it, cooking, killing rather, the lobster on the spot.

"Can I eat it?" asked Cornelia as she poked the dead creature with her index finger.

Cross patted Cornelia's lean stomach before walking past her. "Just be mindful of your weight."

"Don't you want some?" she asked aloud at the leaving Cross.

"No thanks. More for you." He showed the back of his hand to her.

As fast as she could, she chopped off one of its claws and ran after Cross. "Wait, don't leave me here!" she yelled while her wings took her to him.

Cross looked behind him just to make sure Cornelia was following. As he had expected, she indeed was. Her cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel and white lobster meat was evident from outside her mouth. She tried to chew slowly, her jaw moving up and down in a tranquil rhythm. He almost laughed just looking at her.

"What?" she asked, almost spitting out freshly grilled seafood at his face.

Cross shook his head and smirked. The next time he glanced at her, she had already swallowed everything up into her belly. She yawned lazily, covering her mouth.

"I'm tired. Can I sleep?"

"If you want to be food for the lobsters, go ahead."

Cornelia bumped her head on Cross' back as she struggled to keep her eyelids up. She failed and eventually fell asleep on the sand. Seeing this, Cross picked her up in his arms and carried on with the journey. They were still far from their real destination and the fight had still not begun.

---

"Cornelia!"

"Hmm." Still asleep.

"Cornelia, wake up!"

"Huh?" She opened her eyes slowly.

There were demons. Everywhere.

A demon rushed towards her in berserk but her mind panicked and forbid her to move. The Hellhound jumped at her in slow-motion before it was slashed away by Cross' Vanquisher.

"Get on your feet!" he ordered, busy fighting a mixed group of Orcs and Minotaurs.

Cornelia stood up from where she laid and summoned her Vanquisher, Azusa Yumi. Eyes as precise as a hawk, she shot any demon that attempted to sneak an attack behind Cross' back while he tried to defeat the main attacking force of demons alone.

"Where the heck are we?" she asked as she scanned her surroundings, the soft sand and jewel waters nowhere to be found.

"Save the questions for later," Cross replied while slashing a Minotaur's arm off.

_Arrows of concord shall burst open the abyss of darkness._

"What a nuisance," he heard Cornelia say before the dark sky turned bright yellow and a downpour of soul arrows crashed on the hardened soil on where they stood. The barrage of arrows was accompanied by the angelic choir, singing a heavenly melody that purged the very souls of demons. Cross was unaffected by the arrows, being protected by Cornelia's holy barrier.

Unbelievably, the demons he was struggling to defeat were killed in one attack. He raised an eyebrow at Cornelia, who was yawning, Vanquisher in her hand no more.

"I did not know you had such power."

"You never asked."

Cross picked up the dark marble that one of the Minotaurs dropped and crushed it with his bare hands. It shattered into pieces of black glass but inflicted no cuts on his hand.

"So, where are we again?"

"Coral beach."

"What? No way."

"This is the deepest part of Coral beach, hidden far inside the heart of it."

"What was that marble you picked up?"

"Apparently, the objective of the mission is to destroy the black marble."

"What is it for?"

"That, only the gods know."

"Just when I thought that the mission was hard." She yawned again, deprived of her energy.

Cross stood straight and prepared for another fight. "It is not over yet." Similar to the Gate of Heaven, the place possessed pillars as large as giants and was sealed off by a large gate. These meant something to Cross. These were signs of a much greater enemy to face. It was like a shrine. The shrine of one of the legendary dark dragons.

From the dark skies, a dragon whose breath corrodes even the finest steel descended down in front of the two angels. It flapped its wings and roared, shaking the whole area. Even its steps caused the ground to tremble and its horned tail had the sharpness cut through an army of angels.

"Who dares summon me?" breathed the black dragon.

"I do," answered Cross confidently.

The dragon roared angrily. "The Angel of Chaos, I presume?"

"You are correct, Elga."

"Interesting. Let's see how well you fight."

Elga, the black dragon, threw out a fireball of poison from its mouth. Cross evaded it with the help of his wings. Cornelia took aim at the dragon's right eye but missed as it took off in the sky in bizarre speed. Cross, only using his feet, ran after Elga as it prepared for a whirlwind attack.

"Cornelia, haste, now!"

Cornelia clasped her hands and enchanted Cross the gift of haste, the skill to move as fast as feathers dancing in the wind. He jumped and stabbed the dragon's tail, causing it to cancel the attack.

Suddenly, Cross was thrown away back to Cornelia with a single swipe of the dragon's claw. He was greatly injured but still held on the will to fight. Elga sped towards them, forming squalls of unlimited power to weaken their defenses.

Cross ran away quickly yet Cornelia stayed on the same spot while Elga was rushing towards her. Her eyes shone differently as she raised Azusa Yumi from the downright position and shot an arrow straight at the dragon in one fluid motion. Hundreds of soul arrows rampaged on the dragon's face, blinding it effectively. The arrows disappeared and Cross turned back, grabbing Cornelia, and flew out of Elga's way before it crashed upon the ground.

"Insolent angels." The dragon roared, nearly deafening the two angels into death. It threw out another ball of poison at their direction but Cross held his hand out and blocked the fireball with what seemed like a firewall.

Trying to provoke the two angels, Elga called forth tremendous lightning bolts from the dark clouds. Cross and Cornelia had to evade one every few seconds, making it hard for them to continue with their assault.

One of the lightning attacks struck the main pillar supporting the structure and made it fall at Cornelia's direction. Her eyes widened and her feet froze.

CRASH.

Her tears were wiped away by a hand – Cross' hand. Just in the nick of time, he stood in front of her and blocked the gigantic stone block. Cross nodded at her after she regained her calmness but Cornelia immediately shifted to worry upon seeing Cross adorned with lacerations, bathed in his own blood.

Unfortunately, Cornelia was distracted at this and failed to evade Elga's sudden attack. She dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Elga roared with laughter at seeing the weak angel.

Instead of coming to her aid, Cross continued on with the attacks. He lost the ability to control himself as a demonic power overpowered his senses, overwhelmed by the mere thought of what the dragon did to the most important thing to him.

His Vanquisher transformed from crimson to pitch black, and dark jagged lines appeared on Cross' face. From being a two ended pointed edge, it became a long blade. Anywhere you would hold it, it would slice a deep wound. Cross' eyes turned bloody red in color and his wings formed more into a dark seraph's. Lastly, Chaos grew in size and bore chains on both sides and spurted out a black aura.

Elga attacked with its claws immediately. It missed and Cross took the advantage.

In one deadly swipe, the dragon's whole leg was cut off by the angel's Vanquisher. Blood sprawled in all directions as the spear roughly divided the hard bones and tough skin, slicing nerves and tendons.

So, the dragon fell on the ground and lost balance. Elga attempted to spit out a vortex of poison but Cross threw Chaos and it pierced both the lower and upper jaw of the dragon. He pulled it back to him from its deadly position, sadistically snapping the dragon's mouth into broken pieces, with the upper jaw passing through the lower jaw, bone passing through bone.

Its tail attacked from the rear and successfully hit Cross, but no evident damage was seen. The lust for pain in his red eyes grew larger, inflicting horror into the dark heart of the legendary dragon.

The dragon flapped its wings in order to escape the Angel of Chaos. It cried in repentance but Cross didn't allow it to live; his soul was controlled by destructive chaos, allowing no mercy. He swung his weapon around one of Elga's skeletal wings and pulled Chaos' chains towards his chest, breaking it off in one attempt. Dismantling and sending a cracking sound, the bones and joints were forcibly torn apart from each other. Elga growled in pain as its left wing was ripped off its back. Scraps of marrow and bits of cut bones scattered on the floor thereafter.

Cross flew on top of Elga's back. Finishing what he had came for, Cross threw Chaos' chains on the gigantic pillar on the dragon's left and pulled it down with great force. The stone pole, almost twice the size of the enormous dragon, crashed against the dragon's head. Cross did the same with the right and slammed the pillar against the dragon's skull, only harder. Elga's skull was so crushed that no one could distinguish it anymore; the contents of its brain were already on the floor and a large fracture went across from its eye area to its forehead, causing more blood to be evident on the stone ground.

Obviously, the dragon was dead. But, Cross was not contented. Laughing maniacally, he propelled his Vanquisher around Elga's bloodied head so that its chains were constricting the dragon's neck. In a single pull, the mighty dragon was guillotined without mercy. The head cracked upwards and was separated from the spine by the drastic pressure of the choking chains and the sharpness of Cross' Vanquisher.

Cross fell on his knees, his wings, eyes, Vanquisher and soul returning back to normal. The jagged lines of chaos on his face faded away as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness beside Cornelia.


	12. Act 10

**Author's Notes:** I'm starting to lose hope in this novel. After reading a couple of NY Times Bestsellers, I feel so small. I couldn't find the thrills, drama, romance, and that distinct page-turning adrenaline in those novels in my story. I'm quite not sure why I'm continuing this. Maybe I'm writing just for the heck of it. Sigh. Another chapter.

Act 10

Lost Voices

Evil knows no boundaries, except for love.

* * *

_Castle of Lucius, the dark tower in which the souls of fallen angels are transmuted into demons._

The ruler of Artwaltz sat on his black throne in which the skulls of defeated enemies were positioned in an arc. Lucius propped his chin on his hand while holding the unholy grail in the other.

"Elga has been defeated by a mere angel?"

"Yes, sire. It was the same angel who defeated ArchHeart."

"How could this be? When was this?"

"Three days ago, sire."

He slammed the grail on the armrest. "Why did you not inform me earlier?"

"It was quite a distance-"

"Silence!"

With a snap of Lucius' pale fingers, the messenger demon was seeped of its life. Its soul first ran out before the muscles and innards melted, leaving the flesh sticking to the bone. The frame of the demon suddenly turned into ash and left a pile of dust on the floor.

"Useless peon," Lucius muttered as he drank from the unholy grail. He called for his daughter, who entered the room by teleportation, appearing as a dark cloud of smoke.

"May I be of any use to you, your majesty?" Lorelei bowed down in respect.

"Go and find that Angel of Chaos. You should have killed him when you had the chance to."

"But he spared my-"

"No excuses! Go!"

Lorelei bowed once more before suddenly disappearing into a black portal of darkness.

---

_Eisengard's Castle._

Cross shot upright, waking up from an ill dream. He glanced around and was surprised to find himself back home. After fixing the linen cover of the large cream-sheet bed, Cross hurried downstairs as his concern for Cornelia's condition automatically took over.

"Oh, you're awake." Keinsley crossed paths with him on the staircase.

Cross nodded. "How is Cornelia?" he asked, nearly forgetting to ask about how he ended back in his father-in-law's residence. He could recall Chaos gaining control over him. Knowing that the lust for blood was the only thing that drove his senses during that time, he feared that he might have caused Cornelia more harm. Whenever the demon inside him was out, Cross lost the ability to command his own self.

"She's still alive and kicking."

Then, he remembered everything slowly like puzzle pieces being fit together. It was retained in his memory that Cornelia fainted during the fight but the rest of what happened after that during the battle was difficult for him to recollect.

"How did we get back here?"

"Well, I found you and-"

"Never mind. Where is she?"

"She's entertaining a guest downstairs. In fact, the guest's looking for you."

He nodded once more and ran down the stairs. A redheaded female greeted him upon his entrance of the living room.

"We meet again."

Cross summoned his Vanquisher right on queue. "Lorelei!"

Cornelia was sitting silently near the guest, seemingly comfortable in her chair. She behaved as if she did not know that the female adjacent her was the sworn enemy of angels, Lucius' daughter, Lorelei.

Cross took Cornelia away and pointed his spear at the young lady. "What do you want?"

"How rude, treating a guest like this."

"Why did you let her inside?" Cross asked Cornelia.

"She came in peace," she replied.

"How could you corrupt this young angel's mind....along with her father's?"

"What blasphemy." Lorelei flicked her hair sideways.

Cornelia slapped Cross on the side of the head. "She just wanted to talk about you for something."

"What?" Cross asked.

Sighing, Cornelia explained, "Didn't you know that Lorelei has been working with the angels of Eisengard to rule out Lucius for several years now?"

"Lies!"

"She is speaking the truth," said the demon princess.

"If then, why do you intend to betray your father?"

"You ask too many questions."

"How then can I believe that what you are saying is true?"

"Do you trust an angel?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then trust me."

"What?"

A wounded soldier bursted in through the door of the room, immediately catching the attention of the three. "D-demons! A whole battalion!" the soldier frantically exclaimed.

Before Cornelia could even glance at him, Cross rushed outside to aid in the battle. She soon followed suit with Lorelei accompanying her.

Eisengard's front wall was destroyed by a dozen of Golems and the houses were being burned down by Wyverns attacking from the sky. Dragonutes raided the city and fought against the angels.

"Cornelia, take out the Wyverns!" Cross ordered in strategy as Cornelia came running by his side.

Cornelia nodded and proceeded with her task. Lorelei soon appeared behind Cross.

"And me?" she inquired.

"You're helping?"

"Just to let you see that I am on your side."

"Come with me."

The Angel of Chaos and the demon princess joined the battle by disposing of the Golems. With Lorelei's assistance, everything happened smoothly. Her expertise in battle was a large boost to Eisengard's part. Meanwhile, Cornelia and her father went head-on against the Wyverns and helped the citizens put out fires. Keinsley casted rain shower spells on each house while Cornelia shot down the Wyverns. As soon as those were done, all four went against the hundreds of attacking Dragonutes.

"There are too many of them," Cross stated as Cornelia fought with him back to back.

Even Lorelei was having trouble with the insane number of demons, not that they weren't easy to kill. Then, an ebony haired angel leaped from one of the houses' roofs and joined their side.

"Came to save your butt," the angel muttered.

"Malice?" Cross raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Malice raised his hand and executed a push, causing a chunk of ground rise, slamming an incoming Dragonute into the air. He groaned and cracked his neck, "What a pain in the neck."

Cornelia jumped over the block of soil and pierced hundreds of arrows through it while Malice was preparing another attack, having Cross to back him up. Malice propelled the large block into the sky with the use of his glove Vanquisher, Sardonyx, which had the ability to bend and control earth without physical contact. Cross set the compact cube of soil on fire before Malice blew it up with a raise of his hand. It was raining fire; blazing soul arrows struck down the demons surrounding the area. The remaining fiends were dealt with by the large soil shards that came down with the arrows.

All was well several hours later. Cross, Cornelia, Keinsley, Lorelei and Malice sat near the lakeside to celebrate their victory.

Malice noticed the wingless one and asked, "What's the demon chick doing here?"

"Do not call me a _chick_," she stated in her royal tone, glaring at Malice.

"Why am I uninformed of this turn of yours?" Cross asked Lorelei.

"Only the angels of Eisengard know about it," she answered.

"It does not make sense."

"Like I have told you, I do not see a good result in my father's plans. Besides, he deserves death for his actions. He is blinded by corruption and power."

"You do not sound like a demon, even more as his daughter."

"Perhaps so."

The other angels withdrew from the conversation and headed back to the castle to rest.

Lorelei looked up at the bright, periwinkle sky. "I...was planning to deceive the angels of Eisengard by joining their side for three years to gain their trust."

Cross' eyes widened, standing up immediately.

"That was my father's original plan. When they do not expect it, a horde of demons and I will strike and bring upon destruction on Eisengard – which was what supposed to have happened earlier."

Relieved yet puzzled, the angel lowered his weapon. "Then...why did-"

"You made me think otherwise," the demon gave him half a smile before she shook her head. "You made me betray my own father. You should be proud of yourself."

Cross stood in silence while Lorelei took a deep breath before moving on.

"I once believed that angels and demons should be united in harmony. My father relinquished that from my mind and instead, fed me with hatred for the angels. He told me that all angels are dark hearted entities."

"What made you change your perception?"

"When you spared my life, I was firm that my father was wrong."

"Does your father know of this unfaithfulness of yours?"

"Of course not. If he did, he would have my head."

Cross shifted his weight to his left foot and eyed Lorelei.

"Having taken the lives of countless angels in war, I cannot bid myself pure from sin. But, I ask for your permission to join as your ally to repay for my wrongdoings."

"Trust is hard to give."

"Is it not enough that I slaughtered my own kind to gain that trust?"

"It is hard to believe the words of a demon."

"That is the problem with angels, the reason why peace between them and demons are absent. It is etched in their mentality that demons are evil, wretched beings who are the enemies of the gods."

"True."

Lorelei stared hard into Cross' eyes. "Have you not doubted that the gods themselves are the malevolent ones, not the demons?"

"...No."

"This is why the gods address us as demons. We know the truth."

"What truth?"

"The truth about the reason of their creation of angels, the war and everything else."

"Wait-"

"Have you not noticed that their orders involve useless bloodshed?"

"...Yes, I have."

"Not only the blood of demons, but also the blood of angels."

Cross gave her a questioning look.

"As I told you, we know the truth."

"...."

"I saw you kill the elite angels who lost to a pack of demons."

"...."

"Not only you were commanded to do that. I have witnessed several others."

Standing up from the low ground, Lorelei took a bold step closer to him.

"Now, am I worthy of your trust?"

"You better not deceive us."

"Not unless you let me."

Cross scratched his head. "That is what makes it difficult for me to believe you."

"I was just jesting." Lorelei chuckled and smiled at him.

"...Alright then."

Lorelei offered her hand openly as she stood up to his level. "Shake on it?"

Nodding, Cross shook hands with her, accepting the pact.

---

The reconstruction of Eisengard was held at once after the battle ended. There were angels rebuilding broken houses, putting up new posts and signs, and helping restore the city's front wall. Among those angels were Cross, Cornelia and Lorelei.

Cross managed the group that brought large slabs of stone while Lorelei helped with the carrying. Cornelia was assigned to rebuild the large wooden gates. She started by hammering nails into the weakened hinges.

Thack. Thack. Thack. Thump.

"Oww!" Cornelia yelled as she hit her thumb with the hammer accidentally. Hearing this, Cross flew to her area. As gently as he could, he took her injured thumb and examined it.

Taking her hand in his, Cross asked with serious eyes, "Does it hurt?"

"_No, it feels absolutely delightful._" She stuttered, "Y-yeah, a bit."

Placing the hammer into Cornelia's hand, he grabbed her hand and positioned it perpendicular to the nail. He was trying to teach her how to do it properly but due to some distractions, Cornelia couldn't concentrate. First, having her hand in his automatically made her flush. When he went around her back for a better position, she felt his hard stomach muscles pressing against her back. Feeling his breath on her ears as he told her what to do didn't help either.

"Are you feeling well?" he questioned suddenly after feeling that she was practically shaking.

Cornelia struggled to do a nod. In an attempt to help her relax, Cross' actions became more suave and smooth. He ended up doing the exact opposite of it though. She became a whole lot more nervous. He raised his hand together with hers before striking the nail.

THACK.

The surrounding angels looked for the source of the loud sound. Cornelia dropped the hammer and placed her hand against her mouth. She was so nervous that even though Cross guided her, she still missed the nail, hammering Cross' finger instead.

To their surprise, Cross didn't even scream in pain. They were much sure that the hammer strike was hard enough to make a hole in a three inch slab of marble.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Cornelia apologized as she looked at Cross' bleeding, nearly flattened finger.

Cornelia's face was so sincere and her eyes were watery in regret that it made her look adorable and cute. She added a self pointed pout that caused Cross to give her one of his faint, once in a blue moon, genuine smiles.

"It's fine," he said casually before holding up her hand against the nail again. Cornelia closed her eyes this time.

THACK.

Another finger went bye-bye.

"I'm so sorry! I tried-"

"Don't worry about it."

One more time, Cross thought as he inhaled deeply.

THACK.

Finally, the nail went in. If it hadn't and he had lost another finger to that hammer, he would have been so angry at Cornelia he could pull her hair out. The first mistake made her look innocently cute but the second one didn't and a third one definitely wouldn't.

Before he could leave her side, Cornelia took out a towel and wrapped Cross' fingers in it. She did it very carefully and affectionately, making sure that he felt her concern through her touch. A worried look in the eye and a tight squeeze in the palm was all it took Cornelia to make Cross lighter inside. He nodded at her once before returning to his post.

"You're one patient gentleman," Cross heard Lorelei say.

"Thank you for the complement."

"Now to more important matters, my father is planning to capture the four main kingdoms of Asgard, starting with Eisengard. He has told me that he is going to do it himself."

"The reason for your allocation of this information is?"

"You should lead in evacuating the citizens as soon as possible."

"We are not fleeing from any battle."

"Do not be foolish enough to fight my father. You even could not win against me."

"I spared your life."

"Only because I gave up."

Cross smirked. "Sure."

"Seriously, please, evacuate the people of Eisengard."

"When will this siege be?"

"I do not know myself. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a week after."

"Can I expect you to fight alongside-"

"Do not fight him, you incompetent angel. He is too strong for you to defeat."

"I will do what I want to do."

Cross was about to walk past Lorelei when clouds as black as the shadow of death covered the skies instantaneously. The large wooden gates were broken once more as a swarm of demons rushed into Eisengard. They were so great in number that even the whole city itself had not enough room to occupy them all.

"Darn it," Lorelei cursed at Cross as she disappeared and reappeared at her father's side, who was on the back-most row of demons.

"Lorelei."

"Your highness," she said as she bowed.

"You have failed me." Lucius bashed Lorelei with his scepter, flinging her several meters away. She teleported back to Cross' side just before hitting the ground. Surprised by her return, he noticed that she was injured.

"What happened?" Cross asked.

"My father found out about my betrayal."

Cross shook his head in irritation. He glanced around and saw newly rebuilt houses being decimated, angels trying their best to defend their town from the demons, and a lack of hope.

Lorelei heard Cross mumble something before he took off and headed towards Lucius. Cornelia was somewhere near the cathedral of Eisengard, protecting it from the vile fiends. Malice was with Keinsley, trying to hold off the demons at the gate from coming any further. They were too occupied and did not notice Cross, who sped towards Lucius without hesitation. Lorelei made an effort to chase the ignorant angel but was trapped by Hellhounds and Griffins.

Meanwhile, Cross quickly found Lucius among the sea of demons. A lust for power devoured him as he lost himself to darkness. Dark wings, a chained Vanquisher and blood colored eyes took over again.

Cross lashed Lucius with Chaos' chains from afar, aiming to decapitate the demon lord from the start of the fight. The ruler of Artwaltz vanished as the spear was hurled at him, before appearing right beside Cross. Lucius swatted him away with a thunderous strike, nearly killing him.

Pain was the fuel of Chaos' strength and thus, Cross lunged at the demon lord again. A heavenly beast's roar was heard before spears rained down from the dark skies. The demons surrounding the area were struck down but Lucius stood in the midst of falling spears, protected by a dark, impenetrable barrier. Cross raised himself into the air and threw Chaos at him. But, the spear flew back at him like a boomerang. He gripped on the chains tighter and whirled it at the city walls instead. Spinning, he pulled them down before his feet landed on the ground. Just when Lucius was entering through the gates of the city, the stone walls crumbled down. Cross stepped back, seemingly being the winner of the fight. When the clouds of dust cleared out, Lucius stood above the rocks and not even a single scratch was on him.

Black tendrils of ominous power swirled around Lucius' hands as he prepared to cast a spell. Cross tried to ruin it by attacking the demon lord but he was stopped by the fiends that have survived his divine skill earlier. It was too late when he reached the demon lord. Lucius had already finished preparing for the magic attack.

A vortex as large as the sky threatened to devour the whole city of Eisengard. Not knowing what to do, Cross stood in front of Lucius in stupor. With an evil laugh, Lucius unleashed the spell in front of Cross, even though it was meant to be aimed at Eisengard as a whole.

"Cross!" Cornelia shouted.

Like a large volcano, the dark sphere, which covered the heavens, made a full blast aimed at Cross.

Then, everything went black.


	13. Act 11

**Author's Notes:** Thank God for helping me. I need enlightenment, or else this one is going to the recycle bin again. I really don't want that to happen. Improvement is just right around the corner yet I can't seem to cross paths with it. Are my writing skills becoming rusty? The content and quality of my chapters seem to deplete every time, or so I think.

Act 11

Sunken Memories

Memories, like broken fragments of glass, are forever etched in your fingertips. The blood and scars are there to remind you of them.

* * *

Several seconds later, the darkness was replaced by a blinding light. And there was Lorelei, standing in front of Cross. She had absorbed the whole attack and placed it upon herself to save Eisengard, more specifically Cross. Lucius could have still canceled the spell when Lorelei stood in front of Cross, but he didn't. To him, his daughter was only a mere, useless pawn.

Lorelei fell to the ground as the people regained their ability to see. Lucius put in all his energy into the spell and didn't have anything left. Consequently, he fled, bringing the remaining demons back to Artwaltz with him.

Angels closed in as Cross picked Lorelei up from the solid ground. Her eyes slightly opened to peer at him. She smirked at him, though only weakly, as a few words came out of her mouth.

"You...stupid...angel..."

Rage flowed through Cross' veins. He now acknowledged that Lorelei's words were true. Lucius was a selfish demon who had no heart. He headed for his room in Eisengard's Castle and laid Lorelei down on his bed. Cornelia, Keinsley and Malice traced his footsteps and entered the large palace.

"Cornelia," Cross called, his voice sharp.

"Y-yes?"

"Can you do anything to help her?" Cross asked for a favor without even looking at her.

"I'll see what I can do." Cornelia stood up in front of the bed and placed her hands above the demon princess. She pronounced a holy chant in the sacred tongue as a heavenly light covered Lorelei's body. The others watched in awe; Cornelia was the only angel said to have healing powers.

Unfortunately, the healing powers of Cornelia were of no help against the spell of Lucius. Cross buried his face into his hand as the whole team became silent. They could feel that he was blaming himself for not only the causes but also the results of the battle.

Never as disappointed at himself before, he marched out of the room in the absence of sound. The other angels stared at the door even after Cross slammed it behind him, as though they could still see him.

Cross later found himself atop a cliff with no one but himself. He wanted to scream and release the anger that was feeding him with pain. He wasn't supposed to feel any emotions and now that he did, incomprehension filled him yet again. Clenching his hand into a fist, he punched the ground below him. His anger at himself was now passed on to Lucius. Everything seemed to lead back to him - the destruction, all the lives lost, even Lorelei's terrible condition, everything.

He knew had to focus on one thing for the meantime, though. With enough knowledge and energy, Cross set out on a journey to the sunken cathedral of Memoria, where the solute to Lorelei's remedy could be found – the Goddess' Tear.

But as he stood up to proceed with his expedition, a light toned hand of a blonde angel clutched his left shoulder. An older male followed this angel and gave Cross a pat on the back. Ruffling his own brown locks, another angel walked up behind him.

They were all there: Cornelia, Keinsley and Malice.

"Ready?" Cornelia's light-hearted voice asked.

Cross nodded and held her hand which was on his shoulder. "As long as you're with me."

---

Memoria, a sunken cathedral - a church burdened by time and forgotten memories. The only means of entering Memoria was by traveling two hundred meters from the coast of Coral Beach and diving underneath the small island of rock somewhere around that area. No records of it have survived and so, nothing much is known about Memoria. A steep staircase of stone leading to the fifth floor of the cathedral separated dry flooring from the water. Unusually, the elevated part of the cathedral was not enveloped in water, only the first four and a half floors were.

Cross lit a fire on his palm to dry their clothes. When that was dealt with, the four angels started their search for the legendary treasure deep inside Memoria.

"They say that adventurers never come back from here," Cornelia gossiped as they walked along the cold, granite flooring.

"How clichéd." Malice exhaled at Cornelia before he ran his hand through his hair.

Cross stopped and glared at both of them. "Now is not the time for needless chatter."

Cornelia ignored him. "Hey, is it just me, or is the ceiling leaking?"

They watched idly as tiny droplets of water dripped from between the compact stone bricks on the walls beside them. The flow of water grew in amount, until it was leaking like a weak faucet.

"We should get going." Cross spun on his heel and initiated an advance.

The whole team grew silent as an odd flowing sound resonated along the hallway. It grew louder and louder while the angels looked around for the source of it. Suddenly, a strong gush of water escaped from the wall as it broke and gave way. Malice and Keinsley flew away while Cross dragged Cornelia out of the waves' way.

The angels hurried to the nearest room and locked it. Fortunately for them, the door, when shut, completely sealed off everything outside it. They slumped on the walls of the small room and rested.

"Sigh," Cornelia said instead of doing.

Malice echoed this and huffed loudly.

"Needless to say, we should think of a way to escape from this floor," Keinsley stated.

Cross stood up and started observing the corners of the room. Cornelia bowed her head down in hopelessness, trying hard not to hear the loud crashing sound of water on the opposite side of the door.

"I-Is this cathedral going to swallow us up?" inquired the Princess.

Malice scratched his head. "I don't think 'swallow' is the right term for it...but yeah, maybe."

"There is some sort of contraption here," Cross notified.

Alerted, the three followed him to the back of the room where a staff was perpendicularly impaled on the floor. Scriptures of the sacred tongue were engraved on it.

Cross brushed the dust off the words with his hand. "Ishtak sara naum nemoris."

"You can read this?" Cornelia questioned.

Before he could even realize it, Cross was able to read the ancient scriptures. It was one thing to say them in a spell, like Cornelia had displayed in numerous cases, and it was another thing to read the words themselves.

"For some reason, yes."

Keinsley placed his hand on his chin in thought. "Only gods have the knowledge of the sacred tongue."

The three angels looked at Cross in unison. He returned their gaze in disbelief.

Out of nowhere, the staff glowed and released a light blue aura. The aura moved to Keinsley and after the aura increased in glow and temporarily blinded the other angels, it disappeared. Keinsley was nowhere to be found.

"Father?" Cornelia shouted in sheer bewilderment.

Malice glanced around, looking for the King. Cross remained silent and paused in thought. Then, he proceeded to the west part of the room and found a hand made of stone impaled on the ground.

"Ishtak sara naum rahm."

A similar blue aura dragged Malice away, giving him the same fate as what the King had.

"Cross?! Why did you do that?!" shrieked Cornelia.

"Just trust me."

Cross gripped Cornelia wrist and pulled her to the east side of the room. This time, a bow was on the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. Before you spit out words of some unknown language, where is the blue thing taking me?"

"You will just have to see it for yourself. I, myself, do not know."

"What-"

"Ishtak sara naum osmos."

Cornelia disappeared along with the blue aura. Now, only Cross was left. He returned to the door of the room. It was only then that he noticed that spears adorned the door frames. He turned on the knob, let the water flow into the room and devour him like devastating tidal waves.

Meanwhile, the other three angels found themselves on the sixth floor of the cathedral. The blue aura sent them to the staircase, serving as some sort of magic transportation device.

"The water is rising. We should hurry and get that Goddess' Tear," Keinsley said.

"Where's Cross?" Cornelia, running about, asked as she glanced around.

Malice aided Cornelia in looking for the black haired angel.

"Cross?"

The Princess' steps grew in panic.

"Cross...?"

No one.

"Cross?!"

Silence.

Emotion hit her like a roaring wave. Her heart pounded on her chest harder and harder, making it hard for her to breathe. Her hands shook involuntarily, though she tried to control them. Suffocating from sadness, she fell on the floor as her knees weakened. Her love was dead. Cross was dead.

Driven by faded intuition, her father came to her side and hugged her.

"No..."

Malice shook his head as a tear threatened to escape. Instead, he strived to focus on their main objective. Keinsley pushed Cornelia lightly on the back, telling her to move. They still had a long way to go.

Hours later, the group stopped on the tenth floor to rest. They were exhausted – not from fighting demons, but from avoiding traps and solving puzzles in order to proceed further. From arrow traps to needle walls, they survived everything. It was unusual for a cathedral to have such traps. There was only reason why the place was highly guarded – it had something valuable to protect.

Malice got up from his knees and pointed north. "Let's go."

Cornelia, still slightly sobbing, nodded and followed him from behind. The two disappeared into the dark. Feeling uneasy, Keinsley didn't follow the two angels. Instead, he turned around and scanned the area. He felt like they were being watched. When nothing came up, he spun on his heel and traced his comrades' footsteps. Subsequently, a shadow emerged from a pillar adjacent to where Keinsley previously stood.

Finally, they reached the topmost part of the cathedral with only a day's amount of food. A frightening statue of a goddess stood tall on the northern area of the room the angels were in. The ceiling was as high as the heavens and the space was as vast as a hectare of land. Absurdly large posts of the purest ivory supported the room's frame. Behind the sculpture was a large stained glass window. It boasted streaks of bloody red and heavenly blue. The picture of the mosaic was an angel being stabbed by a goddess' lance.

Just when they were nearly done with the quest, Cornelia broke into tears and sunk to the floor. The death of Cross was much for her to take and it was only now that the staggering sadness impacted her fully in one blow. Malice couldn't help but to sniff at seeing the pitiful female. He closed his eyes and recalled his childhood memories with his lost companion. Sighing, he approached Cornelia and offered her a hand.

"Get up. Getting the Goddess' Tear is the least we could do so that his death wouldn't be in vain. I'm sure it's what he would want us to do," Malice tried to comfort Cornelia.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she took his hand and stood up. The three, walking side by side, went in front of the towering sculpture. It was so tall that they had to raise their heads by ninety degrees just to see its face.

"What now?" Malice asked.

"Based on what I have studied, it is said that the Goddess cries when an angel's soul is lost and blood is offered upon her feet."

Malice couldn't pick his words up. "And so?"

"We need an angel sacrifice to get the Goddess Tear."

Malice pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Cornelia kept sobbing with her head bowed down. The two quickly turned their heads in Keinsley's direction as he took out a knife and placed a small cut on his arm. The blood trickled down from the King's hand to the floor.

"We have already lost a soul on this journey. This is the blood that we offer. May sorrow be upon the goddess," Keinsley chanted, somewhat praying.

A small droplet of water fell from the statue's right eye. Keinsley cupped his hands to catch it but unexpectedly, a dark haired angel flew above him and snatched it. The thief landed quite a distance from them. She fixed her long, black locks and looked at the prized possession she had on her hand.

She grinned and said, "What a nice gift."

Keinsley's jaw dropped, Malice eyes widened and Cornelia raised her head to look at the thief.

"Princess Rozalin?" they all pronounced.

The dark haired Princess giggled naively and placed the Goddess Tear inside a small bottle. "Don't you know that the Goddess only cries once?"

"Why are you doing this?" Keinsley questioned.

"Who are you for me to relay such an important matter?" Rozalin answered back.

Malice ignored her chatter and summoned his glove Vanquisher, Sardonyx. He hauled a massive block of soil and stone from one of the walls and threw it to Rozalin using earth bending.

Dust and smoke arose as the block hit the target. Surprisingly, sharp metal shards shielded the Princess from the attack. The metal pieces fell to the ground afterwards.

Rozalin yawned. "Weak."

Malice raised his hand and hundreds of swords made of soil and stone departed from the floor. Cornelia prepared Azusa Yumi and aimed at Rozalin. The two released their projectiles while Keinsley propelled their attacks into a vortex of wind using his staff Vanquisher, Quetzalcoatl. The vortex condensed the arrows and the swords and made each one imbued with the elements of fire, ice, thunder and wind.

Rozalin flew and avoided the deadly barrage of elemental swords and arrows. The three angels' combined attack made a large hole on the ground which was big enough for the goddess statue to pass through. The rim of the hole was frozen, electrified, burned and squalled all at the same time.

Rozalin raised her open hand and fluidly clenched it into a fist, sending metal pieces flying at her enemies at horrifying speed. Malice rolled while Keinsley and Cornelia took off into the air to avoid the sharp objects.

"Behind you!" screamed Malice.

The metal shards spun back like boomerangs and sped at Keinsley's and Cornelia's direction. Keinsley's left wing was lightly scathed. The metal shards returned to Rozalin's feet as the two angels plunged down into the stone ground.

"Magnetism," huffed the King of Eisengard, noticing the ring Vanquisher Rozalin had.

Apparently, the Princess of Knossus had two rings – one was black and the other was white. Rozalin pouted innocently and glanced at the white ring on her index finger. "What about the other ring, then?" she asked.

Rozalin threw a metal shard at Malice while she was talking, catching the angel off guard. In turn, the metal piece sliced Malice's cheek though he tried to avoid it. He ended up falling on his back.

Malice gritted his teeth and ran a hand through his brown hair. "You messed my hair."

Rozalin arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"You're really asking for it." Malice wiped the blood off his cheek.

Instantly, the wall behind Rozalin crumbled down on her. A whale made of soil swallowed her before exploding as another barrage of soil swords were thrown at her direction.

Elemental arrows rained from the hole on the crumbled wall. Bursts of fire, ice shards, lightning bolts and whirlwinds blasted on Rozalin as the arrows hit her.

Seemingly victorious, the three angels looked at the gap on the wall. Oddly, they saw the sky even though they were supposed to be underwater.

Then, another explosion abruptly came as Rozalin emerged through the smoke of dust. The three angels gasped. She was still alive, even undamaged.

"My turn."

Before they could even think or even breathe, the three angels were impaled on the stone walls. Two to three metal shards pierced their bodies, passing through them. Malice choked out blood, fainting. Cornelia groaned in pain while Keinsley was on the verge of death. The metal shards passed through his chest, more specifically his lungs.

Her vision blurry, Cornelia tried her best not to fall into unconsciousness. The female heard a light toned giggle as a faded form of an angel approached her.

"Now, to deal with all of you," Rozalin said, smiling at the rings on her finger.

"_You promised to come when I needed you..._" With her last breath, Cornelia screamed, "Cross!!!"

Of course, there was no answer. She hoped for the impossible.

The other female angel smiled.

"Die, incompetent pawns."


	14. Act 12

**Author's Notes:** This is only a short chapter, probably a breather after all those lengthy ones. If anyone out there has read up this far, I'm on my knees to beg you for a review. Share the happiness in life. If not a review, maybe criticism. Opinions about if I should still continue this story or not are really appreciated. It's the single question that hasn't been answered yet by anyone.

Act 12

Cadence of Guilt

Guilt strengthens like fire, in which the heart is steel.

* * *

Cornelia closed her eyes and submitted to cruel death.

Rozalin raised her hand for the final blow. But, fate would not let her control destiny.

A dragon's roar echoed through the room, shaking the place like a magnitude-10 earthquake. The mosaic behind the goddess statue shattered. The walls crumbled, and the three angels were set free. The statue of the goddess fell, breaking into a thousand pieces of rubble.

Rozalin turned around as a black haired angel descended behind her. A red spear was in his hand.

Chains of Chaos were suddenly everywhere. They were constantly in motion, passing through and encasing the room. Rozalin threw a metal shard at the angel but it was flicked away by the chains.

"You dare injure an opponent you cannot kill?" the Angel of Chaos questioned.

Rozalin yelled for help as the chains took hold of her head, hands and feet. She was raised into the sky, her figure and the chains forming a cross.

Cornelia struggled to get on her feet, pulling the impaled metal piece out of her gut. Her eyes widened; she had already seen this before. It was on her 12th birthday. And it was the most terrifying thing she had seen in her entire life.

"Cross! No!" she screamed as hard as she could. Her happiness in seeing him alive was overthrown by horror.

The chains grew tighter, slowly suffocating Rozalin. They tugged lightly, attempting to tear her apart.

Cornelia ran towards Cross but a wall of fire blocked her way. She turned and tried another direction but she was still blocked. "Stop it!" she yelled.

A malevolent grin formed on the black haired angel's face as the chains were suddenly set on fire.

Cornelia shook her head and ran past the wall of fire. Her skin burned and the pain was unbearable but she forced to make her way in front of Cross. She placed her hands on his arms and looked him in the eyes.

"Please, Cross, stop!"

Cross laughed. He swatted Cornelia away with his hand. The chains pulled, attempting to finish Rozalin off.

Rozalin gripped on the chains around her throat but they were too constricted for her to pull them away from her throat. Slowly, she was being taken into death and escape was nowhere to be found.

Not until an arrow struck Cross' back. The possessed angel turned around and glared at the attacker with angry, bloody crimson eyes.

Cornelia, the one who shot the arrow, kept her shaking hands clenched. Attacking Cross was the only thing that could stop him from killing Rozalin. She was prepared for the worst and inevitably, the dark angel gladly gave it to her. A spear crushed her and sent her meters away.

Cross withdrew the Chains of Chaos from Rozalin and ordered them to be wrapped around Cornelia instead.

Suddenly, a massive block of stone hit Cross' head, making his neck crack and dislocate drastically. He swiftly tilted it sideways, snapping it back to position. Malice had regained consciousness and decided to go against the chaotic angel. In blinding speed, he tackled Malice into the wall. Dark particles appeared in his right hand. Forming it into dual blades, he unleashed thousands of continuous slashes and blows on Malice. The stone wall cracked from the intense attacks. Malice gave in to the arms of unconsciousness again and fell to the floor.

Cross transferred his attention back to Cornelia, who shrieked when his eyes locked onto her. He walked to her calmly and disposed of the dual blades, turning them back into black particles that disappeared into the air. He picked up the female by the neck, his grip growing tighter every second. He summoned his Vanquisher and pointed it at Cornelia.

Tears ran down the face of the female angel.

"Go on, kill me..."

The last two words somehow caused the dark angel to reflect on his actions. Cross looked around and all that he saw was chaos. Destruction ran through the place like a murderous typhoon. He lowered his weapon slowly as his limbs shook involuntarily upon witnessing what his hands had caused. He threw Cornelia aside, making her faint, before he stretched out his wide, dark wings and flew out of the cathedral through a hole in the ceiling.


	15. Act 13

**Author's Notes**: Sigh. No one seems to read this anymore. _ Maybe I should try writing Yuffentine fanfics instead of continuing this. Eh. This chapter, along with the succeeding few, are important to the main storyline. It might be a wee boring, but please stick with it. Thanks! And don't forget to review!

Act 13

Moonlight Drabble

The moon, no matter how beautiful, is nothing compared to the beauty of life.

* * *

A few days passed and the whole team woke up one by one, realizing that everyone was back at Eisengard. The Goddess' Tear was evenly distributed to all the injured. In an instant, they fully recovered without a trace of cuts. The first one to regain consciousness was Keinsley, followed by Malice, then Rozalin, and lastly Cornelia.

"Where's Cross...?" the Princess immediately asked.

The unwary female was replied with a mixture of shrugs, shaking of heads and silent voices.

"...How did we end up back here?" she added.

Malice stood from his seat. "According to the royal guards, Rozalin brought us back here."

Cornelia looked around for the angel whose name was just mentioned. Instead, she found Lorelei. The demon princess entered the room, now better and recovered.

"From what I have managed to deduce, she left as soon as she could," said Lorelei.

Cornelia sunk deeper into the blankets of her bed and sighed. Out of the window she stared with worried eyes as rain poured heavily and thunders roared.

_---_

_Arcadia, realm of the gods._

"We must take action now!" the gods shouted in full conviction.

"Do not panic. Everything will be well," a goddess, a being much more holy than the gods themselves, stated.

"At this rate, the angel might overcome Lucius' power."

"Worry not. Peace and harmony shall prosper."

"Peace? Memoria has already been destroyed by that angel."

The heavenly hosts temporarily took a break from their discussion and faced the angel bowing before them.

"You have failed," the gods said as they watched the crystal body of water where the events in Memoria were replayed. The body of water, known as the Mirror of Narcissus, provided the gods the ability to see everything that have happened, are happening and will happen in the world of angels.

"I'm sorry. The angel with the red spear was too strong for me to defeat," Rozalin stated.

"What shall we do to this incompetent angel, Goddess Elvira?" the gods asked.

The Goddess' voice was so full of purity and love. "Forgive her."

"As you wish." The gods gave Rozalin another chance to walk out of the heavenly courts alive. She bowed in front of the Goddess and the gods before leaving.

"It is not our authority to ask, but is this such a well-planned action?" the gods inquired.

"Killing brings nothing beneficial," Goddess Elvira spoke.

"Back to previous matters, the Goddess Tear has been claimed and used."

"I am fully aware of that fact."

"What measures should we exercise?"

"Let us be patient and watch the events unfold." The Goddess looked into the Mirror of Narcissus and focused her eyes on a certain angel – Cross.

---

Cross slammed his clenched fist against the cold, hard wall. He let his fist slide down before kneeling in front of the wall, resting his head against it.

His beastly roar filled the empty cave he was in. He groaned in pain as his bones shifted position when his wings turned back to normal. The jagged lines ran back from his cheeks and his canine teeth became dull. The bloody crimson in his eyes reverted into gray, completing his changing phase.

He chose to isolate himself in order to pay for the sins he had committed. Cross, though not completely at fault for the devastation of Memoria and the injuries of his companions, found no reason to forgive himself. He has dealt much pain to the people close to him, and he didn't want to make it any worse.

He was a monster. He was not meant to be with other angels. He felt like a weapon, only a pigment of warfare for the gods.

Falling to the floor from exhaustion, Cross focused on the forest outside of the cave. The cave, which was naturally dug from a tall stone wall, was repeatedly disturbed by a chilling breeze as droplets of rain calmly dripped from the ceiling.

A sudden upheaval in the forest startled Cross. He got up and hurried into the rain. When he saw the cause of the noise, a strong urge to turn back dawned on him. Apparently, he fought it and gave a helping hand to the injured angel on the ground.

The wounded angel squinted at the shady form in front of her. Trying as hard as she could, she grabbed the hand that the form offered her. Suddenly, she was lifted up from the ground and sheltered from the soaking rain. They entered a cave before she was placed back down, now on dry soil.

Then, the angel's vision refocused. She almost jumped after seeing who helped her.

Dark orbs locked with her hazels. "_Cross...? But why?_" her mind was having trouble in understanding.

Kneeling in front of her, Cross took off his dark cape and wrapped it around the female's wet body. Her clothes were completely drenched in rain and they were clinging to the shape of her flawlessly curved body. He raised his hands in attack, scaring the female. Cross lit a fire in the middle of the ground, not what the female was expecting. The male scanned the female's cheek. He ran his thumb against her cheek, where a small cut was. The female blushed inescapably. Cross' gentle touch and appealing gentlemanly nature was too much for ladies to take and unsurprisingly, she was no exception.

He faced her, locking eyes. He had this aura of concern that the female could not fathom. "How did you get injured, Rozalin?" he asked in his deep, charming voice.

"I-I...was..." for the first time in her life, the Knossus Princess was speechless.

Cross stood up, relinquishing the tension between them. "I apologize for the things I've done. I could not control Chaos. It was too-"

The female cut him short. "I understand." Attending to her at a time of need even though she was an enemy of his was enough for her as an apology. "I should be the one apologizing. I stole the-"

Cross was now the one who interrupted. "Why?" The question was incomplete, but it made perfect sense to her.

Rozalin looked hesitant to share information. One serious look in the eye was all it took for her to crack. "The gods...ordered me to steal the Goddess Tear."

"_What?_" thought Cross. "_How could that be?_"

"I, myself, do not know the reason of this."

Then, Cross noticed that Rozalin's teeth were chattering and her whole body was shivering from the product of the cold breeze and her soaked clothes. He momentarily gave up the questions. He took his black shirt off, leaving only the plain white shirt left on him. Walking up to her, Cross offered it selflessly.

Nodding, Rozalin took the shirt and wore it. Surprisingly, it had a certain smell - the fragrant scent of Cross. She found herself longing for it dearly, along with his hand on her skin.

She called, "Hey."

Cross gave her his attention.

"Thank you for...everything," she muttered, glancing from his lent clothes to the fire.

"Think of it as a payment."

"Payment for what?"

"You brought my comrades back to Eisengard, even though I...nearly killed you." The words were difficult for Cross to muster. He felt worse after saying the last four words.

"It was the only thing I could think of."

"Nonetheless, you have my gratitude."

Rozalin smiled at him. "Truce?"

Nodding, Cross gave her his signature faint smile. "Truce."

Rozalin felt lighter after clearing the issues with her enemy, which now she proudly considered a friend. For once, she felt happy, even just a little while. Serving the gods never gave her joy. Listening to the silence, Rozalin sensed her eyelids continuously grow heavier. Cross noticed that she was trying to fight against sleep.

"Go and sleep. I'll guard you," he assured, his voice stern.

"I'm not really sleepy. Just tired." Right then, she yawned.

Blinking, she abruptly found Cross in front of her. He motioned her to lie down. When she didn't comply, he held her wrist with one hand and her back with the other. Instantly, she really wasn't sleepy anymore. Carefully, Cross helped her lie down. He took off his white shirt and folded it before putting it below Rozalin's head. Her damp locks tangled with Cross' fingers as he smoothly lifted her head.

"Get some rest."

"How can I be sure that you won't leave me vulnerable in the middle of the night?" she asked, staring at Cross' upper half.

"Do you think I would lie to you?"

"Well, you do consider me as an enemy."

"I never did."

An uplifting sensation filled the young Princess once again. Smiling, she took her eyes off Cross and stared at the ceiling. She sighed contentedly, hugging onto Cross' jacket as tight as possible. Her senses were tickled by the scent of Cross' shirt. Finally, she turned her body to face Cross.

"I'm still cold," said the Princess, pouting cutely.

Like a strike of lightning, Cross made the fire larger. The sudden spark scared the little Princess' heart. The fire provided the warmth that Rozalin's body craved for, but it was not what she truly desired.

"That wasn't what I was talking about."

Cross arched an eyebrow.

Rozalin chuckled and shook her head. "Never mind." Cross' clueless character made him even more appealing to her. "Good night, Cross." With that, she closed her eyes and let the moonlight dance with her dreams.

Cross sat on the opposite end and let his thoughts drift with the wind. He glanced outside and saw the stars twinkling together. The angel spent time remembering the night when he met Cornelia. It was in the same cave. But now, those memories were shrouded with pain, guilt and shame. He sighed, resting the back of his head on the wall.

"_Forgive me, I ask of you, even though it's the last thing you do._"

---

Cornelia gazed outside the window of her room. She looked up to the moon and thought of Cross. She didn't care even if he'd hurt her. His presence was all she ever wanted. She sighed, resting the back of her head on the wall.

"_Please, come back home, Cross._"


	16. Act 14

**Author's Notes**: Another serious chapter. I apologize in advance for my over-elaborateness in describing the physical appearance of my characters. I'm just inspired by beauty. Er...not only _that_ kind of beauty, but also the beauty of nature, of life, of writing. You get the point, right? Now, read and enjoy. :D

Act 14

Solitary Clash

The hardest trial a man must overcome is the battle with himself.

* * *

Early in the morning, a messenger disrupted the tranquil kingdom of Eisengard. The messenger relayed to King Keinsley Cartwright a call for help. The matter was a secret, a news that was not meant to be known by townsfolk. Thus, the King of Eisengard garnered his chosen few and ventured to help the third kingdom - Stalwart.

After passing the Valley of Valkyries and traveling nearly five hundred miles, the angels reached Stalwart. Keinsley, Cornelia, Lorelei and Malice were immediately greeted by two elite guards in red and black stripes.

"Atten...Shun'!"

A young lady whose rosy white complexion radiated with sunlight made her way toward the four guests. She was dressed in a sleeveless white vest with a thin light brown girdle strapped around the waist and horizontal lion-frame buckled russet straps serving as buttons. Her left collar was raised up to her cheek while the other was flat, opening to reveal a fallow dyed scarf around her neck. The vest's last strap was left unbuckled to expose her flat lower abdomen and navel, and to highlight the tightly cinched belt fastened to her short, raw umber skirt. Another red belt ran diagonally across her skirt to hold a long, carbonated steel cutlass in place. On her left arm was a black elbow-length glove overlapped by a white fingerless metal studded gauntlet to protect her hand. On her right arm were a circular bronze bracer and a similar metal gauntlet. A sea green spaulder connected to the bracer adorned her right shoulder. Knee-high combat boots composed of a black alloy lower and a hot pink nylon upper shrouded her feet. Like a shadow, the crimson embroidered cape attached to her back followed the flow of her movements. Her feathered tea rose locks included uneven, wild fringes that partly covered her eyes. Her hair was side-parted, swaying just below her shoulders with her uncompromising gait.

The two soldiers swiftly saluted as the female walked past them, as if they were to be punished if they hadn't done it any faster. She stopped with her feet both aligned, bowing slightly in front of the King of Eisengard.

"I am Colonel Narxene Brigand, rightfully appointed by the Queen of Stalwart."

"We have been informed that Stalwart required assistance with a very important matter. What is something going on with Stalwart?" Keinsley couldn't help but ask.

Emerald eyes resolute, the female spoke of bad news without her voice faltering, "The Queen of Stalwart has gone missing for three days now."

The four gasped.

"Please," she gestured, "continue."

Keinsley nodded and took the three other angels inside the city. A dozen of imperial knights escorted Keinsley and the group as the young lady guided them to the castle. It was visible that the kingdom was on alert after the events that just happened, but only to a level which would not cause panic to the citizens. Soldiers were scouting the premises for any signs of demons. Imperial knights were stationed at certain points of the vast, modern kingdom.

Colonel Narxene brought them to the briefing hall inside Stalwart castle without any delay. There, she informed them of the details. Though the situation brought forth grief and anxiety, Colonel Narxene did not show any signs of weakness.

Keinsley, frustrated, sighed. "How terrible."

She nodded. "No signs were left. There are no clues for us to be lead into the reason and location of Her Majesty. Besides the four of you, we are firm that only Stalwart's royal soldiers know of the dilemma. Please be sure not to leak any information about Her Majesty's condition.""

Keinsley shifted in his chair. "Of course. How then can we offer help in the investigation?"

With a deep breath, Narxene informed, "Let me take you to the Royal Chamber. Further explanations shall be given there."

The four followed the Colonel as she threw the briefing room's massive steel doors open.

---

Light slowly filled Rozalin's line of sight as she opened her eyes to a new day. Closing her eyes again, she stretched her arms over her head. She sat up straight and set Cross' clothes aside. She glanced at her right, and as she had expected, there was Cross, staring at her.

"'Morning," the Princess of Knossus greeted.

He nodded at her, his eyes sincere. Rozalin immediately felt an uneasy feeling at the hint of his faint yet striking smile so early in the morning.

"Don't you have anywhere to go?" questioned Rozalin innocently.

Cross shook his head.

She flashed her bubbly eyes at him. "What about Cornelia and the others?"

"...I rather not meet them for the time being."

Rozalin's lips pursed in discontentment. "What do you plan to do then?"

"..." Silence.

"Do you intend to stay in this cave and settle for idle chats with me?"

"Your point?"

"Return to Eisengard."

"Your rationale?"

"Cornelia misses you. Your team misses you."

His heart growing as cold as ice and as hard as stone, Cross eyes flickered to the wall. "And so?"

"If Cornelia heard the words that just came out from your mouth, she would be hurt."

"That flusters me how?"

Rozalin pounced an inch's distance at him. "Listen to yourself!"

Cross departed from his kneeling position and headed for the cave's entrance.

"Where are you going?"

"Away. Somewhere far away."

"W-what?"

Cross bowed his head and turned his back on her. "I don't deserve to be here."

"Take me with you." Her abrupt words reminded him of a familiar blonde female who spoke exactly the same statement.

Rozalin quickly got up her feet but tripped on Cross' jacket which she used as a blanket. Nursing her scratched knee, she looked up, only to find two deep crimson eyes locked at her. Unusually, she slightly blushed at his proximity. He was so close to her that she could just lean forward and...

"Go back to your kingdom," he said, helping her regain terra firma. Cross submerged himself under the harsh rays of the sun, leaving the cave. He was about to flutter into the infinite expanse of sky when Rozalin's sweet voice stopped him.

"Are you not going to take back your shirt?" Rozalin walked to Cross' side and returned his two shirts and his jacket. The male wore them hastily while glancing at Rozalin's body just to make sure her clothes were already dry. His eyes meant no malevolence but the chaos inside him wanted otherwise.

"Can I come along then?"

"Please, leave me alone."

"Loneliness is not an easy companion, trust me."

"What other pleasure is there other than indulging in solitude?" Once again, Cross turned around and started walking. At once, a firm hand grabbed his.

"D-don't leave me."

He took another step away, but he felt the hand slip away. Looking back, he found Rozalin collapsed on the soil. Concern kicking in automatically, Cross took her up in his arms. He had no choice but to take Rozalin to a place where she would not be in danger's reach.

While trying not to give in to the temptation of snuggling up to the man carrying her, the Knossus Princess smiled to herself. "_Step 1, check._"


	17. Act 15

**Author's Notes**: This chapter is a bit lengthy. I had both fun and trouble writing this one, so I hope you would find it amusing. I'm trying the best I can. Scrap this being a novel and all. It's not worthy to be called one. _ Without further ado, here's the fifteenth (15th! Woo!) chapter of Shattered Wings: Crimson Tears.

Um...title pending.

Act 15

Realm of Emotion

Emotion. Chaotic. Oblivion.

* * *

_Stalwart, __the third of the four cities that angels built and governed after the Exodus._

Cross left Rozalin on a bed of rose cushions inside Stalwart's extravagant inn. Stalwart was the nearest city next to Eisengard and since the black winged angel aimed to avoid his companions, he decided to pay the city a visit.

"When she wakes up, please do tell her that you found her unconscious in the forest," Cross told the innkeeper.

The woman in her mid-twenties nodded and inquired, "What do you need to lie for?"

"Nothing," he replied, reaching for the door.

"Wait! I-is she pregnant?"

"...No." Cross wasn't feeling too well to laugh at that.

Cross pushed the glass door until it was ajar. He entered the afternoon atmosphere, shielding his eyes from the crepuscular rays that shyly streamed through gaps in the clouds that covered the periwinkle sky. Looking around, his eyes proved that the kingdom of Stalwart was exceptionally modern. The inn was located in the piazza, which was the center of the whole city. Light stone bricks covered the piazza's pathways in contrast to the streets' paved asphalt concrete. Broad, fifteen-foot trees gave the city an open-spaced feeling as buildings of contemporary architecture rose like mountains in the background.

"_Now is not the time to dilly-dally_," Cross told himself, shaking himself from his thoughts. He strode forward and disappeared into the crowd.

---

A frantic princess ran along the corridor of the Stalwart inn's left wing. She had replaced her dirty clothes with the ones Cross had pensively bought for her. She found the package of clothing beside the bed she laid on.

Hanging from below her shoulders and barely covering her legs was a dark byzantium silk cocktail dress with long, side-stitched sleeves that included deep magenta cuffs. Brown shaded fur covered the topmost part of the clothing. A front-closure, half-opened black corset embroidered with rose designs and decorated with horizontal, carmine colored lines on the spoon busk rested on top of the dress. Tightly following her figure was the lower half of the clothing, which was a ruffled, asymmetric hem skirt. Lastly, black dress boots with bloody violet linings completed her outfit. Rozalin's rigid yet comfortable dress boasted her lean yet curvaceous form. Her mid-length midnight locks were straight and freely-flowing. Overall, she appeared to be a Gothic Lolita Princess. It was safe for the Princess to conclude that Cross knew her taste very well.

"Hold your horses, young lady," the innkeeper said.

Turning from the door, Rozalin inquired, "Y-yes?"

"You have to pay before you leave."

"I am the Princess of-"

"I know, sweety, I know. That doesn't make a difference though."

Displaying her candid purity, Rozalin approached the counter. She tried to convince the innkeeper otherwise with her puppy dog eyes.

"What?" the innkeeper asked impatiently.

Unfortunately, it failed.

"I don't have any money."

The woman laughed. "The Princess of Knossus, with no money?"

Rozalin sighed and slumped on the counter. Racking up her acting skills, she started to impart to the innkeeper her tragic story.

"You see, it all started when this black winged gentleman requested for an audience with me..."

---

Walking around, Cross managed to attract quite a large amount of attention. The eyes of many made him feel uneasy but he was able to hide it with no difficulty. His wings, unlike the rest of the angels in the city, were black. He always carried a certain intimidating aura. His glares scared most of the angels he had come across with on the streets, while the rest who weren't frightened were attracted to it instead. If there was one thing that disturbed the stoic angel the most, it was the unwanted attention females gave him. Their stares were cracks to his wall of indifference. The main gate of the kingdom was only three steps away when the door of one of the nearby houses blasted open, revealing two angels.

"I don't have anything left!" the one on the floor exclaimed truthfully.

"You'd have to give something in exchange then," the one with the massive axe told.

"You can have my house! Even my shop is yours for the taking!"

"That's not even a fraction of what you owe me!"

Carrying his steel axe on one hand, the upper-handed angel went back inside the house. Seconds later, the same figure returned, now with two children. Other angels watched the scene unfold from afar.

The loan shark cackled greedily. "How about your daughters?"

"No, anything but my children! Don't take them away, please..."

"Your debt will be repaid in full with blood."

The muscular angel raised his colossal axe and prepared to behead two angels with one stroke.

"Irrational and absurd." Noticing that neither soldiers nor imperial knights were present in the area, Cross took the initiative to stop the disturbance.

Chains suddenly gripped the attacker's hand, locking it in the air. Cross easily tugged on the steel links and the axe fell to the floor. The loan shark glared at Cross. Clenching his fist, the angel broke Chaos' chains effortlessly. Cross senses' went into overdrive as the muscular angel ran toward him in pursuit.

Failing on timing, Cross missed the opportunity to avoid a punch. The Vanquisher of his enemy, which granted insurmountable strength to its owner, caused Cross to be propelled a few feet away.

Breaking his fall, Cross cracked his injured neck. "You're messing with the wrong angel."

Then, all hell broke loose.

---

Hearing Rozalin's dramatic story, the innkeeper was swept into tears.

"I...didn't know you went through all those troubles," she sobbed. "Being pregnant at such a young age, and with no husband there to support you," the woman added, "how cruel that Cross is!"

Rozalin nodded, eyes far from dry.

"He even lied to me about it! I knew you were pregnant..."

Paying not much attention, Rozalin let the woman's words slip from her ears.

"You don't have to pay me anything. In fact, here's some gold to get you back to your kingdom." A generous amount of gold coins were forced into Rozalin's palm by caring hands. "Stay strong, Rozalin!"

The Princess of Knossus gloomily left the inn. Shutting the door behind her, she quickly smiled. "_What a sucker,_" the girl thought, giving the gold coins one more look before putting them inside her black purse, which Cross also purchased for her. Though she had mountains of gold within her grasp, Rozalin was certain a few more wouldn't hurt.

"_Now, where's that 'husband' of mine?_" She giggled inwardly at the lie.

Rozalin put on her sweet smile, stood straight and fixed her cuffs before she marched on, embarking on a search for an angel with dark locks and matching wings.

Rozalin was the type of female who demanded the attention of males. Her adorable appearance caught the interest of many angels as she walked along the crowded avenues of Stalwart. She found herself smirking to herself when male teenagers ended up being slapped by their girlfriends after ogling her for minutes. Heads turned, cheeks reddened and eyes stared as she strode with her irrefutably cute façade.

---

The loan shark was rammed into the stone wall head-first, half of his body passing through. Cross discarded his foe with Chaos' regenerated chains, throwing him into the multitude of curious spectators. If it were not for the angels watching him, Cross would have implemented judgement on the man and ripped him into shreds. The axe wielder only suffered blood loss and a few dozen of broken bones.

Dispersing his Vanquisher, Cross paced towards the gate. The mass of witnesses that surrounded the area parted for the chaotic angel. Glances of death made the crowd move away, terrified that they were the next in line to be the victim of havoc. Footsteps echoed in the silence as Cross proceeded to the gate. The man he saved from the loan shark approached him from the back.

"Thank you so much," the angel's shaking voice threw out. The man was felt that coming within the reach of Cross was setting foot in a dragon's nest. Permitted with silence, the man continued, "Can I repay you somehow?"

Cross glanced at the man's twin daughters behind his cold back. His flaring crimsons clashed with their pure aquamarines. They reminded him of Cornelia. He faced front, looking straight at the gate. "Take good care of your daughters."

"Y-yes, of course."

Cross dismissed the grateful chap with a commanding hand. The group of angels that have condensed over the brawl earlier dispersed as well. Just before he stepped out of the walls of Stalwart, a small hand playfully tugged on his cloak.

"S_tep 2._" Pouting adorably, Rozalin placed her hands on her well-contoured hips and pretended to be angry at Cross. "Where do you think you're going?"

Cross spun on his heel. Rozalin answered his glare with an endearing smile.

"You should still be in bed," Cross quickly reminded.

"You should still be there, looking after me." Rozalin cocked a confident eyebrow.

"...You did it on purpose."

"Pardon?"

"You faked fainting."

Rozalin was surprised. "Knowing that, you still brought me here?"

Cross nodded.

The Princess truly faked fainting in order for Cross to bring her along. Unexpectedly, she grew excessively relaxed and at ease in his arms that she was lulled to sleep by the warmth and comfort he involuntarily presented her with.

"That's not important. Do you like ice cream?"

"Ice...cream?"

"Yes, ice cream."

"..."

"..."

"...?"

Rozalin gaped at him. "You don't know what ice cream is?"

The oblivious male shook his head. "No."

She felt the urge to slap Cross on the side of the head. "Where have you been sleeping for the past three millenniums?"

"_In my emotions,_" Cross' mind answered.

Shaking her head along with a smile of hilarity, Rozalin took Cross' hand in hers before skipping to an ice cream parlor. The bell chimed, signaling their entrance into the small shop. Rozalin kept her hand intertwined in his, her face full with delight at all the attention they were harboring. Somehow ashamed, Cross lagged to the counter, but Rozalin eventually dragged him across the floor.

The Princess looked up at him. "What flavor do you want? I'll pay for it."

"Flavor?"

Rozalin scratched her head. "Yes, grandfather, flavor. Which do you like?"

Cross peered into the glass tank in front of them and saw a collage of bright colors. Labels were fixed on top of each of the ten containers, marking them for the customers' ease. Layers of ice crawled on the inner walls of the tank, evidently showing its function.

The girl behind the counter seemed not to believe what she was seeing. "Rozalin and Cross? But Cross...you're married to Cornelia right?"

Cross was caught off guard. "You have it wrong; Rozalin and I are not-"

"Yes, we are." Rozalin looked at him, eyes pure and guiltless.

The male glared at the shorter female beside her. "No, we are not."

"_**Yes**_, we are."

The shopkeeper chuckled at the couple. "Cross, you don't have to explain. I didn't know you were such a playboy. I just want to say that, like they say, you're much more handsome in perso-"

Resentful, Rozalin interrupted. "One vanilla and one chocolate," picking out Cross' flavor.

The shopkeeper frowned at the Princess and scooped the chilled dairy products on two separate cones. "Two silver," she told, pushing several buttons on her cash register. Rozalin paid the fee for the cold treats and immediately dragged Cross outside with her and away from the female shopkeeper.

She shoved the chocolate cone into Cross' free hand. "Try it."

For a moment, Cross idly stared at the dark round lump.

Rozalin blinked. "Eat it or else it will melt."

Sighing, Cross followed Rozalin's order. He placed the whole scoop inside his mouth. Rozalin's eyes widened before a spell of chuckling engulfed her. Cross swallowed painfully, regretting his actions.

"You don't eat it whole. You lick it, like this."

Rozalin licked her vanilla ice cream as a demonstration. Cross did not know to respond so he just nodded as he took notice of Rozalin's tongue brushing against the ice cream.

"Hey, you!" someone stressed shouted out of nowhere.

Cross calmly looked northeast. The innkeeper of the Stalwart inn came rushing toward him. Right on the spot, the woman slapped him on the cheek. Rozalin's jaw dropped.

"How dare you do that to such an innocent girl like Rozalin?!" she exploded.

"Excuse me?"

"You made her pregnant and you left her just like that?"

Cross slowly turned his head to the one beside him.

Rozalin's ice cream slipped off the cone. "_Uh oh._"


	18. Act 16

**Author's Notes **: It's been a long time since I've uploaded anything. I don't have a computer at the moment so please be patient. I promise to give the rest of the following acts when I get the chance. Anyway, here's Act 16. Read and enjoy, don't forget to review.

Act 16

Damp Strings

Trouble clouds the skies as the ocean roars in defiance against the drought.

* * *

Rozalin did the fastest double take she could do.

"He's even trying to force me to go with him!" she cried out of nowhere, running to the owner of Stalwart's inn. In turn, Cross stared in stupor at the sobbing Princess.

"Go away, you wicked man!" the woman commanded while pointing her umbrella at him.

The male shook his head and turned around, walking away. He couldn't cope up with all the madness he was forced to undergo. Being able to hear amidst the noise of the crowded piazza, Cross overheard several sobs and comforting statements. He glanced behind him and saw the shrill woman merge with the collage of bodies. The Princess of Knossus stood on her toes and looked for him, but the continuous moving of townspeople served as a never-ending wall.

A ragged angel with a burnt cigarette in his mouth clutched Rozalin's wrists. His malicious grin revealed his rotten teeth and foul breath. He attempted dragged her into a dark alleyway between two buildings.

"Let go of me!"

Cross saw Rozalin nearly being molested.

Again, there were no soldiers in sight. It appeared to Cross that their nullibiety could be firmly depended on anytime.

A flaming chain ripped through the crowd and encircled the horrid man's throat. Rozalin shrieked as the angel choked out blood. She then traced the chain and spotted Cross. The other angels fled while a few prying individuals observed from a safe distance.

The chains grew tighter. Death was the lone emotion Rozalin could see in Cross' dark eyes. Before she could yell at him, five figures entered the scene.

"Halt!" Colonel Narxene ordered. Cornelia, Keinsley, Lorelei and Malice followed behind her.

Cross paid no heed to her words. He smashed the molester's head into the nearest utility pole. The metal post snapped into half and resulted into the swinging down of numerous electrical cables. The chains now gone, Cross glowered at the tea rose haired colonel. At the rear was Cornelia, looking at him with teary eyes. He softened his glare and dispersed his Vanquisher.

"Under Republic Act XXIV, angels who cause damage either to civilians or to property are to be punished with ten to fifty years of imprisonment, depending on the rate of damage," Colonel Narxene recited.

Rozalin ran to Cross' side and held his arm tightly, still traumatic of the ragged man's attempt. Cornelia's eyes grew in disbelief. Her astonishment quickly turned into erupting rage. She barreled past the colonel and stood face to face with Cross.

"You left me and the kingdom for this slut?!" she screamed, pointing at the other Princess.

The surrounding angels grew in interest and watched with anticipation.

Rozalin glared at the blonde. "Slut? Watch your language, brat."

"Who are you calling brat, huh?" Cornelia asked angrily, taking a bold step forward. She folded her arms over her chest and continued, "And how dare you hit on someone else's husband?"

Rozalin mirrored her actions. "Who was it who started calling names?"

"Who cares who was first? You fought back anyway."

Rozalin rolled her eyes. "And to elucidate, Cross and I are not dating. You are only insecure of yourself. Maybe it is the product if your perceptibly childish behavior and unattractive appearance?"

"Who are you to call me childish?"

"Why do you keep asking questions?"

"Why do you keep answering them? Stupid flirt."

"Brat!"

"Flirt!"

"Brat!"

"Enough!"

Cross, who was standing exactly between the two while the argument was occurring, could not tolerate both females' infantile behavior. His voice shook the place like a lion, silencing every single angel within a few meters radius. Now that all eyes were on him, Cross was unsure of what to say or do.

"Flirt," Cornelia muttered under her breath.

Cross hastily took hold of her wrist and forced her to lock eyes with him. His glare was short and effective, successfully allowing the female to regret.

"I...will clarify the matter with you later," whispered Cross.

Cornelia took back her hand and disappeared deep into the crowd. Both Keinsley and Malice came running after her. Cross stepped forward to follow her but Colonel Narxene blocked his path and gave him a disapproving look.

"Will you come peacefully or will I have to utilize brute force?"

"Your choice." Cross summoned Chaos into his right hand.

The colonel brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "I never back down from a challenge." Colonel Narxene drew out her steel cutlass and snappily shifted it in her hand. "Don't let me down."

Narxene dashed through the flames that her opponent threw at her with the use of her cutlass. She spun and tricked Cross into moving to the direction she lured him into. Cross' cape was nearly obliterated by swift stabs. The dark angel then summoned varied spears behind him and let two dragons of fire swivel at Narxene. She rolled and avoided the first prior to jumping to evade the second. The moment she landed on the ground, hundreds of spears came raining from the front. Throwing each one aside with parries, the screeching sound of conflicting metal distorted her hearing. Cross lunged after the last spear was effortlessly blocked.

Side-stepping, Narxene wrapped a cloth around Cross' spear and held it captive. With a flick of her wrist, the cloth amalgamated into an oversized longsword adorned with short, symmetrical additional blades branching from the quillion. It shattered Cross' Vanquisher into pieces, having formed right when it was entangled with the spear. It was her Vanquisher, Evangelion - the sword of manipulability.

Colonel Narxene heaved the blade on her shoulder and gave Cross a head start. Taking the given advantage, Cross flew to the opposite direction. Narxene throttled in extraordinary speed with Cross' slipstream. She quickly caught up and grabbed a hold of Cross' foot before slamming him into the ground.

The black winged angel side-rolled and got up. He clapped his hands together just in time to hold off Narxene's vertical slash. The blade grew closer to his face second after second. The weight of the blade caused his stance to break.

Narxene raised an eyebrow at Cross. "Don't tell me this is the best you can do."

"The battle has just begun," replied the man.

Cross snapped the enormous blade in half just by shifting his clasped hands. He discarded the broken half and knocked Narxene back with a burning palm to the abdomen. The colonel brushed the ember off her white vest and turned the broken sword back into a cloth. The other half that was in Cross' possession suddenly vanished. Evangelion fused with the lingering flames on the ground and changed into a flaming Zweihänder. Narxene leaped into the air and crashed her sword on Cross. Flames engulfed Cross, having nothing to protect himself with, as the sword nearly decapitated him. But, he regained control in mid-air using his wings. He flew at her direction and tackled her into the ground.

"Oh, how vehement," Narxene whispered to the angel on top of her. She heard Cross growl spitefully before he took the sword from her hands and stood up. Unpredictably, he offered her a hand and held the sword in a position for her to take. Smiling, she took his hand and regained her Vanquisher.

"A righteous gentleman." Narxene stepped back a few steps, getting ready to strike at an opening.

Cross' lips turned smugly before he summoned a crimson spear. He whirled it around and pointed it at the colonel's direction.

He took a quick step forward. Narxene immediately lunged forward.

Predicting this, Cross did a crossover and caught her off-guard. He raised his spear to strike as he turned but a white cloth draped over his eyes, covering his line of sight. Panic struck him from the realization of the possibility of the cloth wrapped around his head to turn into a sharp object anytime. How gruesome his death would be.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't do that." Colonel Narxene notified. "Well, not unless you do not come with me."

Furious of feeling panic, a surge of fear, Cross fearlessly grabbed the cloth on his face. He was supposed to be void of any emotion. Sensing a fragment of it made him burst with rage. Though an emotion itself, rage blinded him similar to how lust blinded men.

Blood suddenly dripped from Cross' hand. A blood-stained sword fell to the ground, making a screeching noise as it made scratched against the ground. Narxene withdrew a step, somewhat uncertain if she should be terrified of what she had just done. She felt somewhat remorseful as the urge to stop the fight and bring him to a hospital took over. Rozalin, who followed the two combatants just as the crowd of angels did, wanted to run toward Cross and help him.

Cross stared idly at the gash on his palm. It drove him into bloodthirsty chaos.

"_Not this!_" Rozalin's mind screamed. She wasted no time and exited the scene.

Jagged lines veined into a mask from Cross' neck. Crimson eyes of darkness searched for a victim as the wings on its beholder's back grew in scale. The bloody orbs chose Narxene as its prey. The spectators scampered like mice that suddenly saw a feline.

Faithful to her words, the colonel decided to fight to finish. Death's doors had just opened before her, and she valiantly walked in. Narxene changed Evangelion into a lighter sword with a blue, hollow blade. Revolving around the main blade were seven serrated lightning razor edges. A metallic renaissance tassel was connected to the hilt, acting as a weapon itself. This was the main form of Evangelion - compact and destructive.

Volcanic flames exploded from Cross' palms. Dashing toward him, Narxene deflected the incoming fireballs with her sword that emitted vicious, blue sparks of lightning on contact.

Cross easily pranced aside as Narxene attempted to slice him. A fatal maelstrom of repeated slashes and hacks left Narxene on the ground severely injured. Chaos' chains threw Narxene's cutlass away and also destroyed her Vanquisher for the duration of the fight. Cross picked up Narxene from the ground by her throat with his crushing hand. She gasped for air, putting in all her efforts to break free of his grasp.

"Let her go!" The voice accompanied a single soul arrow.

Cross dodged the incoming arrow. Abruptly, forked lightning bursted from the ground and temporarily blinded him. Subsequently, chained lightning paralyzed him entirely. When he opened his eyes, he found Cornelia pushing herself hard against him on the wall with a bow aimed at his forehead.

Volcanic cindersqualls almost incinerated Cornelia; Cross countered her move effortlessly. She skillfully back-flipped to Narxene's side and evaded the outbursts of flames. Exploding with profound anger, Cross whipped his chains at the female. The chains were then pulled to another direction by a magnetic force. It was Rozalin.

"Call the others, I'll hold him off!" Rozalin offered.

Cornelia hastily nodded in response and aided Narxene in fleeing.

A continuous outbreak of red spikes from the ground kept Rozalin moving on her feet. The spikes persistently followed her, each one getting closer to hitting her as the one before it. Rozalin maintained the magnetism of Chaos' chains as she ran around Cross in a circular pattern as she avoided his attacks. Soon, the chains bound and constricted Cross. Rozalin's strategy was given no praise for it was easily broken by Cross. The dark angel spun around and lashed Rozalin repeatedly with the chains. The wave of blows damaged her critically due to her lack of proper clothing and armor. Her legs were scathed and her arms had light, horizontal lacerations.

Rozalin groaned in pain as she fell to the floor. Fortunately, Cornelia came back in time to heal her wounds. An oversized shield of feathers covered Cornelia and Rozalin from the attacks as the healing process was taking place. Keinsley put up the barrier while playing on the offensive field at the same time. Cross had to evade lightning bolts, fast-falling hail from the sky, and smoky explosions.

The tip of a long whip suddenly whisked Cross' cheek. It was then followed by a large earth sword nearly splitting him in half. The attackers, Lorelei and Malice respectively, joined Keinsley's side. Cornelia and the recovered Rozalin flew forward to complete the team. The five individuals stood in their own stances, prepared to take on hell incarnated as an angel.

Cross roared, causing mirrors to shatter. He charged at his enemy, dark wind following him from behind like a shadow.

The five shouted their battle cry and sprung at Cross, their friendship as their sole weapon.


	19. Act 17

**Author's Notes**: Still no computer. Sorry. Read and review, please! :D

Act 17

Amicus

Friends are much more precious than any gold this Earth can provide.

* * *

Cross sprinted toward them in beastly speed. A dark gravity sphere crashed against the five and pushed all of them back a few yards in distance. Cornelia stretched her bow to the limit and fired rapid shots as fast as her fingers would let her. Lorelei cracked her whip on the floor before randomly teleporting back and forth, lashing Cross every now and then as he tried to defend himself from the arrows raining on him.

Then, Keinsley casted elements on Cornelia's arrows and crafted each and every one into a lethal projectile. Cross whirled his elongated blade in front of him to block the attacks. With his enhanced senses, he flicked each one back to its owner with the tip of his Vanquisher. Malice attended to his job of putting up defensive earth walls to protect the team from the counterattacks. Lorelei sustained her sharp, provoking attacks at Cross.

Not contented with idle exchanging of blows, Cross raised his hand and called forth a tornado of fiery spears to raid the opposing team. Malice guarded his allies with thick waves of soil. While they were occupied with the spear rain, Cross dashed towards them and slammed his blade to the ground, sending a shockwave to Malice. The main blast ricocheted off him and branched off into smaller waves of destruction to the remaining four.

Cross strode and walked past Lorelei and Rozalin. He skipped Malice and avoided stepping on Keinsley. His feet stopped beside Cornelia's wounded body. The female tilted her head at the man. Her aquamarines pierced his crimsons.

"Look deep within you, Cross."

The chaos-possessed angel grabbed Cornelia by her collar and raised her off the ground. The demon snarled at Cornelia, condemning her words.

"T-tell me...what do you see?" she struggled to ask through his choking.

"Chaos," the rough, demonic voice answered.

"No, look deeper." Cornelia tried to hold Cross' hand, no matter how painful it was for her to even move her arm. The dark angel's grip slightly loosened at her soft touch.

As if Cross was having an inner fight with himself, he fidgeted wildly. The grip tightened again until Cornelia nearly suffocated. Cornelia's hand shook in pain and lack of oxygen. Then, the grip loosened yet once more.

"C-Cross, you can fight it."

Having lost the struggle, the demonic angel roared defiantly. The jagged lines crawled back and disappeared from the young man's face. His grip was now no more and his eyes lost the hunger of bloodshed. He collapsed and fell, along with Cornelia.

The Princess fought against the screaming of her aching limbs and hauled Cross to her lap. With the remaining energy that endured the intense battle, she gently placed her hands on his chest. A gleaming ring of light blue covered the two and blue particles danced in the air. Cross' wounds immediately vanished. Afterward, Cornelia was drained of her power and fainted.

---

A frustrating headache welcomed Cross as he woke up to another day. His head briskly turned from left to right, searching for a certain blonde. He noticed that his dark and heavy clothing were replaced by checkered flannel pajamas. That was also when he became aware of the ropes tied around his waist and knotted to his wrists around the back of the chair. If his senses were right, he was asleep for nearly a week. Cross was about to sigh when the metal door slammed open.

"So? What were you saying about 'clarifying' the matter with me?" Arms crossed, Cornelia positioned herself in front of Cross, who was strapped to a metal framed chair.

Surprised at the sudden topic, Cross seemed hesitant; he avoided her eyes. "It is...difficult to put in plain words."

Impatient and irritated, Cornelia slammed her fists on the table between them which saved Cross from being strangled to death. "Just say it!"

In contrast to Cornelia, the five other people, namely Keinsley, Malice, Rozalin, Narxene, and Lorelei were patiently waiting for the quarreling to be solved. The massive metal door prohibited them to hear anything coming from inside the room.

Suddenly, everyone except Narxene jumped at the loud pounding sound Cornelia abruptly made. The hammering blow to the table was so strident that it passed through the metal doors and supposedly sound-proof walls.

It was Malice's idea to literally tie Cross to a chair. The knots were tight enough so that Cross would not manage to flick his wrist and summon a fire or his Vanquisher. It was to ensure that he would not escape and leave again. He felt that Cross owed Cornelia a very, very long explanation. The black haired angel's childhood companion was heartbroken to see a young lady cry for five days straight, especially when a certain male named Cross was the root of it. After that awfully strenuous fight they were in, Malice was more than sure that this matter had to be dealt with once and for all.

Cross bowed his head and stared at the severely dented steel table in front of him. "I apologize."

"Is that all you ever say?!" Cornelia barked at him.

"I...apologize."

Cornelia slapped her forehead.

She took deep breaths to calm herself. "Why didn't you come back for five days?" Concern was clearly evident in her teary eyes.

Cross sighed depressingly. "I...only wanted to guarantee your welfare."

"Ugh. In English please?"

"I don't want to keep hurting everyone."

"You're not hurting anybody."

"Lies."

Cornelia mimicked his sigh. "If you were so concerned about my well-being, did you ever think that I would worry?" she asked through serious blue eyes. "_Didn't you think that I would miss you, that I would end each day with crying?_"

"No...I did not."

Cornelia shook her head disappointedly. "You could've at least figured out that I'd rather have you here than to be away from you."

"I do not see the point of-"

"Just...don't think. Try and feel."

"...."

"Thinking is not always the way to solve things. Listen to what your heart says."

"Such I do not have."

"Don't say that. You were there when I needed help, when I needed someone to lean on. Who else would I call for in the middle of the night?"

"I do not have the capability to be of help to others. Even myself, I cannot help."

"Cross..."

"I apologize for the times I've caused you harm. I intended to leave Eisengard-"

"How many times do I have to tell-"

"I am nothing but a monster. A pawn made by the gods."

At that moment, Cornelia felt the sadness Cross was feeling. His eyes were naked with emotion, an emotion called sorrow. It contained depth even she could not fathom. For once, she thought that he looked pitiful. He seemed so powerless. Being strapped to a chair added to that feeling. His hands were tied behind his back and the ropes noticeably made marks on Cross' wrists. Seeing him in that position, Cornelia immediately wanted to soothe him, to comfort him. Emotion taking over, she walked gradually toward him. Carefully, she slightly loosened the rope holding Cross captive. Cross was finally able to relax a bit afterwards. That instantly became null when Cornelia's hands transferred from the ropes to his shoulders. She was now standing in front of him, her gorgeous aquamarines fixed at him.

"Just do me a favor and sit still," she purred beside his ear.

"W-what?" his voice suddenly became soft and dry.

Cornelia knelt one knee on his lap while her arms snaked around his neck. Her hot breath repeatedly blurred his vision. Cross' heartbeat raced for the first time when Cornelia brought her face to his. She closed her eyes and slowly closed the gap between their faces. Cross leaned backward but she pulled him closer and closer. He wanted to warn her but her proximity forbade him to even breathe. Her strong perfume intoxicated his senses, and an impulse forced his eyes to close as his mind failed to work. Cornelia buried her warm body into his, not taking the moment for granted. Her lips barely brushed with his when her anticipation was disrespectfully cut off by the opening of the door. Cornelia slipped and fell to the floor while Cross quickly opened his eyes.

"Did I interrupt you two?" Malice, who opened the door, questioned with a laugh.

Cornelia struggled to her feet and flushed as four others looked at her questioningly from beyond the steel door. Cross glanced at each of them, eyes deprived of any emotion.

"What...were you doing?" all the females questioned. Keinsley's eyebrows were raised and a buoyant grin was plastered on his face.

"Well, he wasn't....so I....I just..."

Cornelia was tripping over her tongue.

"She was trying to comfort me," Cross said, silencing everyone.

"Don't you mean, trying to kiss you?" asked Malice. Cornelia's cheeks turned hot pink in color faster than the speed of light and sound combined.

"...Probably."

Everyone gaped at the dark haired angel. Silence reigned for at least a minute before Cross uneasily broke the silence. He wiggled in the chair, looking adorable without even trying to.

"Please untie me."

Cornelia then bursted into the laughter at seeing Cross' exasperated look, which was followed by the others. Watching them chuckle, Cross faintly smiled to himself.

"_I am lucky to have friends indeed._"


	20. Act 18

Act 18

Trigger of Calamity

"As I have informed all of you earlier, the Queen of Stalwart is missing."

Narxene stood before a fleet of angels including Cross, Cornelia, Keinsley, Lorelei, Malice and Rozalin. Behind her was a digital blackboard enhanced with anti-gravity mechanisms. The colonel waved her hand in front of the board pane and several maps appeared.

"To hasten our investigation, I will divide you into five groups. Imperial knights on sector-B of the eastern territory," Narxene ordered, pointing at the map on the digital blackboard. "Royal soldiers of Stalwart, sector-A of the western territory..."

The angels stared at the board with unfaltering determination and attention.

"King Cartwright and Princess Cornelia, would it be alright if I were to assign you to the Valley of Valkyries and the portal to Artwaltz?"

Keinsley nodded. Cornelia didn't seem to agree but she kept her silence.

"Malice and Lorelei," she called, "the southern continent?"

Lorelei threw a sickened look at Malice. The man gave the demon a smug grin. Narxene nodded in clarification.

"Rozalin and Cross-"

"Hold it!" Cornelia disrupted. "Can Cross come with me instead?"

A triumphant, sly smile was slowly forming on Rozalin's lips. Cross glanced at Cornelia and took note of her unflagging hatred-filled glare at Rozalin.

"It would be best if Princess Rozalin and Prince Cross would be grouped together. The combination of Cross' weapon and Rozalin's magnetism will aid in their battles."

"_Prince Cross?_" Cross thought.

Rozalin second the motion. "Definitely."

"But-" Cornelia nearly pleaded if it were not for Keinsley, who calmly pulled her back to her seat.

"The parties are now arranged. The room to the right contains the armory and supplied you might need in your search. Please, help yourselves. Dismissed."

Narxene stepped down from the elevated platform and swam against the current of armored angels to reach Cross. "Your punishment is still pending. Now that you are enlisted in the search team, I do not think I can still give you one. However..."

"Do what you desire," Cross uttered, barreling past her and leaving the room. Narxene followed the young man with her resolute emerald orbs.

Rozalin met up with Cross outside the conference hall. The first thing that she did was to grab his hand and cautiously examined the wound on his palm. "Does it still hurt?" she asked in untainted concern.

Cross took back his hand disdainfully. "Yes, for the reason that you are touching it." He strode off and left his sole party member. Pace as quick as a leopard's, Cross reached the kingdom gates with much time to spare. Then, a realization slapped him like refracted lightning.

He didn't know where he was assigned.

Earlier, Cornelia interrupted when Narxene was about to relate to them their designated area. Disappointed with himself, he turned around and returned to the conference hall. As he had predicted, Narxene was waiting for him at the entrance of the building. She abandoned the post she was leaning on and met him halfway.

"I-"

"Forgot to ask?"

"It slipped my mind."

"Same. How vague our minds are."

"Indeed."

Narxene nodded. "The region you are assigned to conduct a search on is Meltankos' Island in the northern continent. Reports of demonic activity occurring there have been piling up. It is a very dangerous area."

"And I presume that that is the reason that you have decided to send both of us there?"

"I trust your expertise," Narxene replied, smiling approvingly.

"Very well then. Would you please tell me where Rozalin went?"

"I saw her venture toward the business district," she stated as her eyes flickered southeast. "It was your fault for leaving her like that. Suffer the consequences."

Slightly abashed by her cold words, Cross paused and contemplated.

"Cornelia was also looking for you. May I say she was quite frantic? I suppose that she is not only angry at Rozalin, but also with me," said the female with a firm voice.

Cross gave the colonel a nod and went to the business district to find his partner. Cross passed through the piazza and took sharp lefts and rights before he arrived at the business district. He recalled that Rozalin still wore the clothes that he bought for her. For this reason, it was easier for him to spot her, but it was also easier for her to get into trouble. Worried that what happened earlier would happen again, Cross searched for Rozalin as fast as he could.

Peering inside every shop, glancing at all faces and looking into each dark alleyway, Cross hunted the Knossus Princess down. After two hours under the sun, he reached and glanced at the last alleyway dejectedly. He nearly walked away and conducted a search elsewhere but the hint of a familiar violet dress from the corner of his eyes obliged him to return to the alleyway and take a better look. He retraced his steps and there it was. Spread out on the floor where the clothes he bought for Rozalin. The corset, the dress and even the purse - everything was there. Conspiracy theories of what could've happened to the Princess started spitting themselves out in the angel's mind. He subconsciously clenched his hand into a tight fist as he picked the luxurious fabric up from the ground. Anger lit up in his eyes like a flame.

Cross let dust shadow his trail as he left the alleyway and made his way to the crowded streets. He scanned from left to right before walking around to find Rozalin. He didn't bother asking other people for information. Instead, he relied on his own to locate Rozalin's whereabouts. He spotted a black haired female and quickly ran to her and spun her around.

"Rozalin!"

"Cross?" the female grinned widely at him. She seemed happy to see him in person. Unfortunately, it was not the person he was looking for. Cross apologized and drew back his search. Hours passed and the sun was directly perpendicular to the ground yet Cross still had no idea where Rozalin was. He stopped in front of a dress shop and gave the glass window an empty gaze. The guilt of putting Rozalin's safety on jeopardy was a weight he didn't want to carry. Although, he promised to blame himself whatever would happen to Rozalin. His thoughts drifted from one matter to another until his track of time was lost. All of a sudden, a hand grabbed him from the shoulder.

Cross summoned Chaos in less than a second and raised it to the offender's neck.

"Hello, deserter," the angel said as she distanced herself from the weapon.

Composed, Cross withdrew his weapon. He locked panic away deep within his heart and gave the female a nod. "Forgive me for my impoliteness earlier," he carefully offered.

"Do not worry about it." Rozalin smiled at him.

Cross noticed that Rozalin looked drastically different. He was only able to identify her because of her soft hazel eyes that always radiated innocence. Her appearance, however, was arguably far from innocent. Her long locks were cut and now barely went lower than her shoulders. Raw umber highlights were professionally placed in distinct areas of her hair. Rozalin's former clothes were disposed of. She had an amaranth pink tube top adorned with white laces and fringes and a jeweled tribal skirt. Affixed to the top and end of the skirt was a butterfly embroidered sash.

He examined her from top to bottom. "What happened?"

"I thought of having a make-over as a way of going undercover."

"_Unsystematic. Unsystematic, but smart._" Cross would address anyone as a foolish liar if he or she would not agree with him that Rozalin looked impossibly attractive.

But, that wasn't what disturbed the male. The dress he had bought for her was expensive. Her new outfit exposed too much skin for him to take. "Are you not aware of the temperature in the northern continent?"

"Oh, that is where we're assigned?" she inquired while peering at him with bubbly eyes.

"Apparently, yes. Your clothing might not supply you enough heat."

"Yes, it will." Patting him on the shoulder, Rozalin gave him an assuring smile.

Cross was freezing to death. He was stripped of his fur jacket, undershirt, leggings and metal combat boots and was left only with his dark shirt and pants. The rampant snowstorm in the glacial mountains had no mercy for angels, whether weak or strong.

"Can you keep up?" Rozalin, waving, asked from quite a distance.

Cross nodded, his neck moving in a syncopated manner. He had given his clothes to Rozalin and ignored his own needs. He considered himself an idiot for believing Rozalin's words. Though she deserved to suffer in a sense, Cross could not disregard the shivering of a helpless young lady.

Taking one last painful breath, Cross forced his icy feet to move. He fought with flaming determination and pushed his body against the chilly wind. A frosty breeze whipped his body and stole the remaining two-tenths of his blurry vision.

"Rozalin!" he called out desperately.

A shadowy figure appeared before him. He took a relieved sigh and reached forward. He retracted his hand as his eyes granted him a glimpse of the one before him. It wasn't Rozalin.

Cornelia pushed the two metal doors together. They gradually slid to the center and closed. The female muttered a chant of the sacred tongue and an emblematic seal formed on the frame of the portal.

"No wonder demons were so rampant. Someone opened the portal," Keinsley thought aloud. He planted his palms on both doors and applied a second seal for security measures.

Cornelia nodded. "Yeah. But...only angels can open the seal. That means..."

"Impossible. The gods wouldn't grant any angel that power in that instant if it was for a malevolent purpose." Confused, the King scratched his head.

"How then can the portal be opened? An angel forgot to close it?"

"Surely, the gods would remind him or her in that case."

Cornelia started staring up at the sky, as if she was questioning the gods and asking them to answer their curiosity. "Wait a minute," she realized. " How does Lorelei gain access to Arcadia?"

Keinsley's mind was having trouble to process an answer.

"She had an angel to open it for her?" Cornelia supplied.

"Impossible. The gods would-"

"Stop thinking of the gods. If they had control over everything, would we be even here fighting this war in the first place?"

Keinsley understood her point. The puzzle they were trying to put together was missing the right parts. Plus, some of the pieces were not really intended for that puzzle – a misplacement.

"Is Lorelei an angel?" she asked. Before she could receive an answer, she slapped her forehead for raising such an incredulous question. Yet, something inside her told her it was not that far-fetched.

"...All angels have wings. She doesn't."

"I know, I know! Geez..."

Watching the angels behind a masquerade of tall pine trees, a dark figure grinned to himself. "_All angels have wings? That's what you think._"

Keinsley and Cornelia believed they were right. Someone else was sure they were mistaken.

The unknown being jumped off from the dead branch and descended down the Valley of Valkyries. The rustling of leaves his fall made caught Keinsley's attention. He quickly turned around and scanned the surrounding trees.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"...Never mind." He gestured Cornelia to follow him back to Stalwart. He fluttered into the air with Cornelia behind. A winged demon came from below and swatted them back to the mountain top.

"Hades." Keinsley cursed under his breath.

Hades, the third general of Artwaltz, blessed the two angels with his unexpected presence. Its black figure settled on the ground like dark smoke. Known for its ruthless way of killing opponents, Hades had six claw-shaped wings used to trap and perforate angels. To use puncture as a word to describe his attacks would be a large understatement. Most angels cowered just hearing its name.

The winged demon growled and aggressively swooped down. Keinsley dodged and casted a thunderstorm to hinder it from raiding them from above. Cornelia placed her bow adjacent to her eye and aimed at the demon. Hades swirled several loops in the dark sky before swooping once more. Cornelia drew the string of her bow and released it at exactly the same frame rate. Hades spun into a dark blob and absorbed the arrow. It suddenly flew towards them at unimaginable speed. Claws formed on all directions of the spherical form and scathed Keinsley as it passed. Keinsley's flesh drastically deteriorated and corroded like metal submerged in acid, causing him to scream from the surge of immense pain. Cornelia's eyes burned with hatred and rained arrows on the demon. The attack made Hades retreat for several seconds, giving her time to check on her father.

"Dad, are you alri-"

Cornelia spun around. Keinsley was on the floor, rotting to death.

A wounded imperial knight dragged himself across the Stalwart Castle. His bloody hands stained the pearl white floor as he crawled in vain. Narxene quickly attended to his aid. The angel refused her help; he was certain that death would claim his soul soon.

"D-demons... Infiltrated entire...sector-B." Those were the final words of the knight. A number of black butterflies glided into the room from an open window. Narxene tracked them with her eyes.

"_A bad omen._"


	21. Act 19

Act 19

Trounce

"How does it feel to be a fallen angel?"

Cross' brows furrowed. The figure before him suddenly transferred to his left. Its touch froze his soul and its voice ringed in his head, echoing like the whimpering of lost souls.

"Do you think your path is a divine one?"

"The gods have assured me."

"A path of bloodshed and death will never be for a holy cause. You are simply a mere pawn, a foolish tool used in murder."

"Enough of this nonsense. Who are you?"

"Who am I? Do you not recognize this voice?"

"Certainly not."

"I am the blue in the sea, the red in blood and the black in darkness. God."

"You are no god. Stop with your lies."

"Lies only tell the truth that is kept hidden within."

Cross waved his spear in the darkness. "What blasphemy."

"If you announce that I am a blasphemer, then see for yourself what blasphemy your own hands has caused."

Mirrors appeared from the darkness and surrounded him. They returned his murderous gaze before shattering one by one. Faded images of a cross where two angels were crucified on each side flickered in the darkness. Screams of pain ringed in his ears. His line of vision started rotating as the images of the cross were replaced by burning houses and burning angels. A jolt of murderous pain flowed through his body like electricity. He envisioned himself beheading countless numbers of innocent souls, pitting them into eternal damnation. The souls shrieked and screamed, deafening him. Then, a certain blonde angel appeared in front of him. Its bloodied hands stained his cheeks as it touched them.

The blonde angel's voice was muffled with tears. "Why Cross? Why?"

The question, coming from the blonde angel, kept on repeating in a ceaseless rhythm. It kept on growing louder and sharper, until he couldn't take it anymore. The two images flashed in his mind alternately in an infinite loop. The immanent pain revisited him, stabbing him like daggers. The screaming of horror joined in to complete the melody of death.

"Argh!" Cross yelled with his hands clamped against his head. One by one, the things that haunted him disappeared back into the black void of nothing. He regained his sight and was pulled back to where he previously was. The blizzard whipped him again, letting him kneel to apply force against it. Not far off, Cross noticed a female passed out on the snowy ground. He headed towards his partner and carried her bridal style.

Rozalin shot up from the bed. She looked around and found a young man in crimson sitting on the chair beside her. "W-what happened?" She stared at Cross, who now had a white, wolf-themed outfit to protect his body from the cold. Spiky fur lined the garments and a wolf head rested on his shoulder.

"You fell unconscious during our travel. We are currently staying at Frost Inn in a town somewhere in the glacial mountains of Meltankos." Cross transferred his attention from his hand to her, his wild fringes obscuring half his face and giving him a mysterious appearance. He sat on the ivory chair without moving an inch.

Rozalin looked at herself after feeling comfortable with her clothes. To her surprise, her tribal clothes were replaced by pajamas.

"_Pajamas?_" she thought in bewilderment. "Where are my clothes?" In the back of her mind, a short scene played, which involved Cross slowly removing her top. She clenched her teeth and tried to keep a smile off her face. "_Woah, girl. A little self-control there._"

"I replaced them. The innkeeper had them washed. Was it a rude idea?"

"_Rude? It was perfectly blissful._" The grin forced its way out. She tittered involuntarily like a giddy schoolgirl. "No. Thank you for doing so." Rozalin was so distracted that she didn't notice Cross head for the door. "W-wait, where are you going?"

"To get your clothes back."

She crawled on the bed, sitting on the edge of it. "You can do that later."

Cross closed the door and reclaimed his seat. The breeze that previously swept through the room from the open door made the girl shiver since the pajamas were nearly as thin as her clothes before. She grabbed the bed sheets and wrapped herself with them. The thick fabric provided the warmth that her body yearned for. Although, she wished that Cross was the one who would share to her that warmth instead.

"Did you also have your clothes washed?" Rozalin asked, looking for a conversation.

"No. You apparently lost them before you passed out."

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry."

"You need not apologize." Cross shook his head and looked outside the window. He promptly left her side and quickly ran down before coming up again. He carefully handed her a new set of clothes and the old one that she had worn. "Please get changed."

Rozalin reached for the hemline of her shirt. Cross looked away.

"In the bathroom."

Rozalin chuckled. "Oh."

Nodding, Rozalin skipped to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. A few seconds later, she emerged from the small prism, her pajamas in hand.

"If you are ready to go, let us leave this place. I sense something unpleasant emanating from this town."

Nodding again, Rozalin followed Cross as he threw the door open. The angel bearing black, ravenous wings advanced toward the exit. He flipped a gold coin to the innkeeper before completely leaving the place. He guided Rozalin north, his cape acting as a shadow. Sometimes, Rozalin wondered and thought of the red cape as a symbolism – Cross was carrying a blood-stained weight on his shoulders.

Watchful eyes never gave them the opportunity to relax as the two angels made their way to the other end of the town. Though Rozalin was unrecognized, Cross' black wings stood out. They passed a tall crucifix in the middle of the town. It was planted on top of what looked like a circular fountain. They circled one side to continue, and Cross became aware that the fountain had no water. As his eyes gazed at the wooden cross, the horrifying image from his nightmare flashed in his mind. He closed his eyes momentarily, averting the fear of its haunting. An angel opened the northern gate for them as they approached it. Letting Rozalin go ahead of him, Cross fixed his eyes on the angel in black. The angel was dressed in chaotic black and shrouded by a cloak. The angel turned his head as Cross turned his, eyes meeting. Finally, the former broke off and closed the gate. Cross swore he saw that cloaked being before.

Far, far away, a group of divine entities observed the world from the Mirror of Narcissus. "Is the angel of magnetism developing a fondness for the dark one?" one of the gods asked Goddess Elvira.

"Perhaps so. It is inevitable. They have manipulated and led their destinies to be intertwined."

The second god roared, "If so, we have no further use for her."

"Patience," Goddess Elvira stated plainly, "Patience."

The four gods were silenced.

"Only time can truly tell what lies beyond this upheaval. Falter not, and watch with flawless attention. They, those that have connected destinies with the dark one, are a force to be reckoned with," Goddess Elvira spoke, waving her hand across the crystalline body of water, the Mirror of Narcissus.


	22. Act 20

Act 20

Alpha de Omega

The clock on the wall ticked as an eerie silenced filled Stalwart's conference hall. Not an angel moved from their position, their breathing normal but not calm.

"We have lost contact with Sir Malice and Princess Lorelei," a high official confirmed. "The search of King Keinsley's party is overdue for three days already."

Narxene took a deep breath. "Cross and Rozalin's?"

"No reports."

Then, an angel with brown locks entered the room, tripping in exhaustion. "L-Lorelei... She went back to Artwaltz."

"Hang in there, father."

Cornelia casted another healing spell over Keinsley in desperation. The aid of doctors and medication had no visible effect on the King's condition. He was breathing very heavily and the wounds on his arm was not getting any better. Nearly half of his body was poisoned by Hades' claw. Hearing his survival rate would only break the poor Princess' heart. The angels of Eisengard could only stare helplessly.

The white circle disappeared after the spell. Again, Cornelia's efforts were in vain. Despite this, she kept on trying, praying for a miracle. Just when Keinsley was on the verge of completely decomposing, a wingless entity parted the crowd and demanded everyone's attention. He knelt beside Keinsley and produced a clear tube from his pocket. In a series of seconds, everyone gasped in amazement. Keinsley was back to normal.

The wingless one smiled at Cornelia and introduced himself, "I am Xenos. Nice to meet you."

Cross lunged and pushed Rozalin out of harm's way. A massive pillar crushed his left arm. He heaved himself up from the cold floor, flinching when his broken bones screamed in protest. "Focus!" he screamed angrily at Rozalin. The female nervously nodded.

The attacker, SinEye, was the fourth general of Artwaltz - the manipulator of gravity. It smartly made use of its surroundings during battles.

Cross whirled the Chains of Chaos at SinEye. It glided sideways, but was caught by the metal locks when Rozalin magnetized it just at the right moment. It burned a hole on the jester-like demon's torso. Cross tugged, forcefully pulling the demon towards him. He wielded his spear on one hand while holding the chains in the other. He threw the chains above the demon.

"Now!"

The Ring of Magnetism on Rozalin's finger glowed a dark hue. The chains quickly wrapped itself around the demon in all possible angles, entirely capturing SinEye prisoner. The demon floated in the air as a means of escape. Rozalin pulled it back down with magnetism. Raising his spear, Cross dashed and jumped at the demon, passing it with a slash. Incinerating flames suddenly engulfed the demon. Even the snow below the apparition melted, exposing a small patch of darkened earth. Rozalin tightened the chains, forbidding possible escape. Eventually, SinEye burned into ashes and disappeared into the air as black particles.

Cross nodded at Rozalin when they eyes met. Keeping in mind that they were wasting precious time, the two angels flew back to Stalwart and dropped their stalling. They arrived at Stalwart in a record time of four hours. The sun painted the city a golden orange as it passed below the horizon. Frowning faces greeted them as they entered the lavish conference hall.

"The fourth general has been eliminated," Cross stated, face blank.

Rozalin followed, "Demon activity in the Meltankos Island had decreased to a minimum of nine percent."

"Excellent," Narxene praised somewhat half-heartedly.

Cross became aware of Malice, who was sitting on the corner of the room. Fatigue was not the only thing plastered on his face, even a mix of anger and confusion was evident. He approached the slouching man and gave him a knowing nod. "Tell me."

"Lorelei went back to Artwaltz. The damn chick can teleport back and forth."

"Any messages before she left?"

"She said she'd clear up the mess and the missing crap, whatever the hell that meant. She left me while we were in the middle of a tight fight against Griffins and Hellhounds."

"A strategic mixture."

"Hell yeah," Malice grunted, looking at the bruises and wounds all over his body.

Cross stood motionless for a moment. Then, he turned at Narxene and spoke with new hope. "I know where the missing Queen is."

Deep in the abominable realms of Artwaltz, a bold Queen was fighting against Lucius' army. She single-handedly defeated a thousand of minions still with ample energy left to take on a few thousand more. Impatient, Lucius decided to personally end the battle himself.

"You are a fool to challenge me alone," Lucius laughed maniacally.

The Queen of Stalwart charged and surrounded the king of demons with psychic beams. Lucius blasted them away with his own dark beams. He clenched his hand in front of the Queen and an orb appeared above her. The orb started shooting rays, which the Queen easily avoided. However, the rays created slits in the ground. The slits grew in number, forming a quadrilateral. The form sinked and the ground gave way, making a large hole. Cracks ran randomly from the hole and an earthquake begun, trapping the Queen. Lucius pointed his scepter at the Queen, ready to drop her into the trench.

"Stop this foolishness!" Lorelei teleported from a space-distortion that suddenly appeared in the sky. She lashed her whip at her father and canceled the spell. Her whip coiled around the handle of his scepter. Putting all her might in one pull, Lorelei successfully gained possession of Lucius' scepter. The demon growled and instantly casted a spell of furtive lightning that struck the Queen. Lorelei glanced from Her Majesty to her own father, deciding which to pursue first. She chose the former. Lorelei ran to help her, her teleportation skills used up.

"Wrong choice," Lucius said as he casted another thunderbolt. It connected and electrified both of his opponents. Lorelei almost lost her grip on the scepter. Her grip on the Queen however, had slipped. She closed her eyes at the lost chance. If she had only reserved at least a teleportation or two, she would have saved the Queen. But, it was too late. Furious, she jumped from the cliff as the ground collapsed into oblivion. With the scepter in hand, she placed unbreakable walls around Lucius.

"You don't know what you are doing," he said, glancing at each wall that appeared around him. Lorelei paid no heed to his words and continued sealing him into a box. She dropped her whip and held the magical wand with both hands. Tapping a hidden power within her, the box exploded and collapsed on itself like a black hole. Lucius was nowhere to be found.

Before regret could even haunt her for her actions, Lorelei hurried to the portal. The scepter on her hand grew vines that crawled up to her elbow without her noticing. Lorelei felt a sharp pain from her hand and quickly looked at it. The scepter was implanting itself in her hand. Like blood rushing through veins, a black substance flowed from the vines into her skin.

Several moments later, Cross and the rest of the angels entered Artwaltz through the portal. They were missing two members, but the four of them were enough. He withdrew a step as a female gradually came in sight. A whip of hellish thorns and a horned scepter were her choice of weapons. Cross withdrew another step, feeling the intense darkness emanating from the one approaching them. This was no ordinary demon. An aura of black flame rose from her steps, killing the already barren land.

"All of you are going to die," her jagged, double-voice threatened.

Cross felt the demon's very words seep in his soul. Something inside him warned that it was true.

"Everyone, go back at once!" Cross ordered as the demonic female advanced towards them. They hesitated. Cross put up a flame wall between him and them, prohibiting them to go further. All by himself, he faced Lorelei – Lucius Incarnate.

From the depths, all the defeated generals of Artwaltz rose from the dead at Lorelei's command. Elga descended from the sky as black as death. The Gates of Chaos opened and ArchHeart came out. Hades formed from the ground while SinEye appeared from a flame and cheerfully skipped to accompany them. The five strongest demons now stood before the angel.

"_I have to put an end to this_," he whispered to himself, clutching the glowing spear tighter. The influx of adrenaline from encountering demons was now at a heightened rate. He fluttered off into the air and circled his spear in a spherical motion, raising it up at the sky of smoke.

_When the crimson lance pierces the sky, blood shall rain from the heavens._

Closing his eyes, the angel threw his spear upwards. Lightning lit up the darkness and thunders roared like six hundred lions. His wings beating upwards and back, the angel opened his eyes suddenly and held his hand out.

"Crimson Tears!"

The angel's spear darted downwards, bringing thousands upon thousands of different spears pouring violently from the heavens. He charged at Lorelei, trusting that his army of heavenly spears was enough. He was wrong.

"Genesis Trigger!"

Windows of the underworld opened, gobbling up all the spears. Cross stopped his attack and landed on the ground. The windows closed and collected into one dark ball on Lorelei's hand. She dropped it to the floor underneath her and earthquakes triggered. In unison, the four generals of Artwaltz dashed at Cross.

With a new plan in mind, Cross flew and ran back to the portal. Hades appeared beside him and attempted to claw him. He spun and slashed its lone eye, effectively stopping it in interfering. Cross clenched his hand into a fist and the firewall he had established disappeared. As he reached the three other angels, he yelled, "Open the portal! Now!"

"What the hell are you thinking?" Malice questioned, joining Cross in flight. Rozalin and Narxene followed suit.

"Just open it!" Cross glanced behind his back and saw the fault lines running after them.

"Alright, alright," Narxene ratified, evading the spike that suddenly came out from a crack in the earth.

The four angels reached the sealed portal, the five generals catching up closely behind. Cross pummeled on the door. It opened, not from his efforts, but from Narxene's. He let the three angels go ahead of him. Cross grasped the arched frame, ready to leave the wretched place. A dark magical hand grabbed his foot and pulled him back. A wingless entity slipped through the closing doors. The portal closed.

After releasing himself from the magical hand, Cross stood up and turned to regard the newcomer. "Who are you?"

"I am the blue in the sea, the red in blood and the black in darkness."

Cross heard that somewhere before.

"'Tis shalt be thy burial place." The wingless being grabbed Cross and threw him at the demons. Surprised by the turn of events, Cross barely regained footing. He flew aside as a large crack almost swallowed him whole. He glanced from left to right. There were enemies on both sides, closing on him. The portal had closed and he, alone, had to fight the battle - a battle that might be his last.

At the other end of the portal, Rozalin was slamming her fists on the hard steel doors. "Why did you close it?"

"I...thought...Cross was already outside," muttered a shocked Narxene.

Frustrated, Rozalin shot the other female a glare. "Open it!"

"Doing so would-"

"Just open it!"

Two angels, Keinsley and Cornelia, flew in and joined the scene. They placed their hands on the metal doors and both the first and second seals instantly broke, providing access to Artwaltz.

"Forgive us for being late," Keinsley said, offering them an encouraging smile. The five angels rushed inside the portal before it closed. Cornelia's eyes widened in horror. They were too late.


	23. Act 21

**Author's Notes**: I may change this Act and the preceding ones. The story's all jumbled up and it's getting crappy.

Act 21

Death's Melody

* * *

Cornelia's eyes widened in horror. They were too late. Defeated again, the four generals of Artwaltz decomposed back into the earth. From a distance, the angels watched as Lorelei impaled Cross on a sharp thorn that stemmed from her hand. The large thorn was so sharp that it went straight through Cross' midsection.

His head felt heavier and his body went painfully numb. He choked out blood as Lorelei retracted the spike. Cross fell to the floor, kneeling. The others could only stare in shock. Xenos, the wingless being, approached Cross from the rear while Lorelei walked toward him from the front. He glared at them with his flaring crimsons, not giving away his pride during his last moments.

"T-the gods s-shall have their revenge...," his gurgling voice said. His eyes shut and he collapsed on the floor.

Cross was dead.

No. It couldn't be.

Cornelia's mind went completely blank. How could he die? Why was Lorelei and Xenos against them? She could just not understand. Her vision turned red as her emotions went into overdrive. A holy light flashed across Artwaltz like an antimatter annihilation. Cornelia was suddenly shrouded in white. The bow in her hand glowed and transformed into a barreled weapon. A gun.

She fired a single gunshot. Xenos quickly placed his guard up and covered his eyes with his cloak, the light from the gun eating at his soul. The light receded and he felt a lion the size of a dragon knock him off his feet. There was a stinging pain in his torso. His chest was bleeding from the shot.

"How _dare_ you do that?" Cornelia's eyes were set ablaze with pure hatred. Even her fellow angels grew seeds of fear in their hearts. She shot him again in eagle-like accuracy and speed. The wingless entity sensed his limbs become paralyzed. Lorelei started casting varying elemental spells on Cornelia. She avoided each one with her incredible agility. Lorelei threw at her a thunderbolt. Cornelia refracted the lightning with her gun.

Lorelei was forced to step back as Cornelia countered. The demon didn't even notice it coming her way. She had been shot. Thirty six times. In a fraction of a second.

Regaining control over his body, Xenos retreated and teleported. Lorelei crashed on the floor as the aftershock of the bullets crushed her like a tempest backlash. A few moments later, she was staring up at the barrel of a gun.

"Pull the trigger."

Sighing, Cornelia dispersed her weapon. As strong as she could, she slapped Lorelei once. Her knees gave way and her body fell to the floor beside the demon. She had already experienced losing him once and this was already the second time. The first time it had happened, she believed that it was the truth, though the truth eventually became false. But now, she had seen it with her own eyes. How he died, how the spike went through his gut. This time, she no longer drowned in waves of emotion. No longer did her heart pound. She simply felt empty, as empty as a void. Everything seemed to turn dark around her. She saw only darkness, and darkness only saw her.

Now able to move themselves, the group of angels dashed towards Cornelia. They looked around. Cross and Lorelei were nowhere to be found. However, they spotted a gold ring which belonged to the Queen of Stalwart. Narxene lay her sword down as she picked up the ring, the others also bowing their heads.

Several days later, the three kingdoms of Arcadia held an event to acknowledge two very special angels. The ceremony started at Eisengard. After the introduction and speeches, everyone went to Knossus to have a royal banquet. Lastly, a flag was raised and the Queen's tombstone was placed in Stalwart. Cross' tombstone was placed in Eisengard. All angels, no matter of what age or level of hierarchy, joined the three ceremonies to show their respect and gratitude to the two angels. The long day ended and Cornelia hurriedly went back to Eisengard. No one found her while she was at Cross' grave. She stood there, holding a single red rose in one hand. Eventually, she carefully placed the crimson flower on top of the marble slate and shed one crystal tear.

"Why, Cross? I thought you'd never leave me alone. We were supposed to finish this together, right?" The tears started flowing. "You promised that you would be here when I needed you the most! Where are you now?" she yelled out loud, struggling and clutching the grass in front of the slate. "You promised..."

The four gods were busy in conference after witnessing the events.

"The angel had died," one of the gods announced, glancing at the Mirror of Narcissus.

"Indeed. The four generals of Artwaltz have also walked on the bridge of death."

"Our plans have been destroyed. We are in dire need for adjustment."

"What shall we do?"

"What else? There is one thing that can rewind fate," Goddess Elvira stated.

"But in order to do that, we are required to-"

"There is no other choice. This is the wisest path."

The four gods nodded. "So shall be it."

"How about the wingless one? He is quite troublesome."

"I shall take care of him personally," one of the gods declared.

"How about the dark angel?"

"Do what is necessary."

Three days later, an angel awoke in the land of the gods. His eyes shone like bright rubies as he stood up and tried to recognize where he was. His heart was pure, like a newborn child. His soul, however, was already stained with sins of the past.

"Where am I? ...Who am I?"

"You are born to this world with only one purpose. To kill."

Kneeling and acknowledging the higher power in front of him, the angel quickly responded, "Yes."

"You are to serve the gods dutifully without doubt. Never pay heed to your emotions. For this reason you are to be named Cross."

Summoning his new Vanquisher, a blazing spear engraved with a cross-shaped relic, the angel felt insurmountable power suddenly flow through his whole body.

"Your first mission."

"Yes, sire."

"Infiltrate and annihilate the kingdom of Eisengard. No survivors."

The angel nodded. "As you wish." He faced forward, face blank and eyes bearing a hunger to kill.


	24. Act 22

**Author's Notes**: The juices of my brain reserved for writing are running dry. -_- Sigh. Maybe because it's school time. Well, I've given the following chapters, including this one, much thought and revision. Enjoy. I present Shattered Wings, Act 22.

Act 22

The Start of a New Struggle

* * *

Cornelia kept her mind, face and mouth empty. She simply stared at the wall of her room. For days, she had been doing the same, idle routine. She would only move when she needed to eat, to bathe, and to sleep. Not a single word escaped her pale lips.

"Your mission has-" the gods started.

"Shut up!" she both mentally and verbally exclaimed.

The gods were perturbed for once; they became silent. The heavenly hosts considered to leave her to lament since they understood her loss. Or did they? The world has been turned into a haven of lies and sin that nothing was left certain. Ever since the forbidden fruit was eaten, the once great Utopia had worsen. The gods would not be surprised if there came a time when Arcadia was indistinguishable from Artwaltz anymore.

Rozalin entered the luxurious room and sat beside Cornelia. Though they were enemies before, Rozalin easily set aside all her anger and chose to comfort Cornelia. There was no one else who would. Malice left for his own kingdom days ago. Narxene wanted to remain in Eisengard for Cornelia's sake but she, too, was needed in her kingdom; Stalwart lost their leader and now was still in the process of electing one. Keinsley was busy with assisting the rebuilding of Stalwart and could not afford to spend precious time on his daughter. The Knossus Princess had her own reasons to leave Cornelia and return to her kingdom but she allegedly chose to stay. Her kingdom could wait. Her friend needed immediate attention.

Rozalin lightly tapped Cornelia on the shoulder, slipping a glass of water in the blonde's pale hand. The glass almost fell from Cornelia's seemingly dead fingers. "At least drink some water. You haven't eaten anything since then."

The glass suddenly cracked as its captor tightened her grasp on it. Fortunately, it was sturdy enough and no water flowed out. Rozalin regretted bringing the slightest hint of the dark haired angel up. She skidded an inch away, feeling that it was necessary for Cornelia to cool off.

Cornelia turned her gaze at Rozalin. Her glare was so intense that Rozalin thought she would spontaneously combust into flames. "Tell me, whose fault is it?"

"I...can't possibly blame anyone-"

"Whose fault is it?"

"I don't-"

"_Whose_ fault is it?" Her aquamarines were on fire.

"It was...my fault?" Rozalin squeaked, unsure of what to answer.

"Do you not think it was Narxene's fault?"

Rozalin's mouth went agape for several seconds. "It was a mistake-"

"A mistake that cost Cross' life. A single, _stupid_ mistake."

"She thought that-"

"It's her fault. If she didn't close that portal too early, Cross would still be here."

"Cornelia... Don't be like that," Rozalin said as gently as she could, laying her hand on Cornelia's shoulder.

"Leave me alone."

When Rozalin was called to hug her, Cornelia swatted her arms away. "Go away!" she screamed with eyes that could kill. Nodding slightly in wide concern and sympathy, Rozalin granted Cornelia with her absence. The door clicked as she left, leaving the same eerie silence to reign again. Cornelia shifted in her seat and stared out the window, into the setting sun.

"_I'll have my revenge._"

Spending three days in grave meditation and thought, all the pieces gradually fit together into one big picture. Realizations struck her like sparking wisdom. She recalled asking her father a question when she was still young. She indulged in the flashback, wishing that she could turn back time and remain in those happy days.

"_Where do angels come from, father?" she asked, pulling on Keinsley's hand._

_The father smiled brightly at her. "That's a secret, honey."_

"_Where do they go when they die?"_

_Keinsley's eyes suddenly glistened a serious blue. "They have two paths. Either they are transported to Arcadia by the gods' special reasons, or they disappear forever from this world, which happens almost all of the time."_

"_Has anyone been transported by the gods, huh?"_

"_It's only a myth, Cornelia. Even your father knows no one who has."_

The other kingdoms were still recovering from the previous attacks of demons but they celebrated nonetheless, knowing that Artwaltz had been defeated and the war had finally came to an end. In the span of a few days, most of the angels were joyful and carefree.

Until chaos struck again.

That day, Stalwart was having the official election. The Queen had no direct relatives, except ones that had already returned to the earth. The situation brought forth an election for a new leader. The candidates were all from royal blood, the sons and daughters of former kings and queens who chose to end their term with an election. The balloting system was practiced, Stalwart being notoriously democratic despite its imperialistic facade. The results shocked the late Queen's board of trustees.

"An unqualified angel had been voted by the mass as a candidate," one of the officials announced.

"Who is it?" Narxene interjected, furious.

The official raised his head after focusing on the piece of paper. "You."

"What?"

BAM.

The loud, sudden blast outside the perimeter of Stalwart alarmed everyone in the room. Narxene instinctively hurried outside to the balcony, her tea-rose locks swaying from side to side.

"Demons!"

From a slanted bird eye's view, Narxene spotted angels scrambling about near the city gates. Demons were swarming in like a horde of killer bees. "_Demons?_" she thought, at a loss for words. "_How...?_"

Royal soldiers and imperial knights protected the civilians from the ghastly fiends. Though nearly every angel in Stalwart had a Vanquisher, not all of them were adapt and capable in fighting, especially against demons of such high caliber. Each equipped with a shield in addition to his or her Vanquisher, Stalwart's troops were able to hold off the demons from infiltrating the city. Seeing the battle was similar to watching a roaring coastal wave repeatedly crashing against a barricade.

Narxene, eager to help her kingdom, thought of asking for more help from the board of trustees.

She turned around.

There was blood on the floor.

The members of the board of trustees were dead, including the official. Xenos appeared from the shadows. "You won't be able to escape like you did last time," he breathed out, confidence at maximum.

Narxene held the white cloth in her right hand firmly. "You are so full of words. Let's see how you fulfill your idiotic claims."

The two lunged, their blades crossing.

"Where's Rozalin?" an imperial strategist asked, panicking.

Her butler, Sebastian, answered calmly, "She is currently staying at Eisengard."

"Get her back here! Now!"

"What you ask for is impossible. Rozalin refuses to return."

"Damn. We're in code red! Isn't she really coming back?"

"She has complete trust that we have the power to handle the situation."

"Oh, gods. Fine," the strategist settled. He used a handkerchief to wipe his sweating forehead. A few dozen angels entered the room and separated into four lines.

"We've received a distress call from the neighboring kingdom, Stalwart. Scouts have also reported that demons were on the move toward our kingdom. Estimated time before collision with their forces is at fifteen-hundred hours." The strategist managed to glance at the clock on his desk. "We have around two hours. The first line," he called.

The first line of angels, also the line with the lowest number of members, saluted. "Yes sir."

"Immediately leave for Stalwart and assist them. No lives are to be lost, clear?"

"Yes sir!"

The strategist blinked as the angels stared at him.

"Now, sir?"

"Yes, now! Get your dumb asses to Stalwart!"

The soldiers of the first line nervously left the room and headed to their designated location.

"Second line, prepare to intercept the demons ten meters from the city gates. Pincer attack with the third line. Archers at the back, spearmen at the front and swordsmen in the middle. Go!"

The second and third line disappeared.

"Now, the fourth line."

The remaining imperial soldiers formed one horizontal line and saluted.

"Your job is the hardest. When the main army locks with the enemy, all of you are to attack one by one, starting from ninety-degrees west, adding ten degrees east after each succeeding one. Understood?"

"O-one by one, sir?" an angel suddenly broke under the pressure.

"Yes, one by one. Wait for the proper timing. You'll ambush first," he stated, pointing at the one who asked the question. The angel gulped and prayed that he would not be buried the day after.

The last line of angels disappeared. Sebastian, Rozalin's personal butler, approached the strategist from the side. "Thank you for your help, Sir Malice."

The strategist gave him a smug grin, "Don't get too mushy with me. The results aren't clear yet." He cracked his neck. "It's showtime."

As expected, one and a half hours later, the demons came rushing towards the northern wall of Knossus, not even bothering to use a plan for their attack. Or perhaps charging straightforwardly was their plan. Angels really didn't understood demons that much to tell. The horde was suddenly split into two as the angels did their pincer attack. Arrows effectively eliminated most of the fiends staying in the center of the collective. The swordsmen provided support to the spearmen and fended off the demons. The minions of Artwaltz somehow fell to their plan and proceeded to raid the city, withdrawing from the fight with the ambushers.

Malice's perfect plan guaranteed victory. The main army went head to head against the demons. When the first angel, the scared one, made a surprise attack from the west, the demons became distracted and confused. The same results were observed with the rest of the angels that conducted surprise attacks from the rear. No angels were lost to the battle while the demons were all eliminated.

All of them celebrated their small victory. When they least expected it, a scout shared to them shocking news. "There's another group of demons coming!"

The cheerful ambiance of the room instantly turned dim. Everyone frowned.

"How big?" Malice asked.

"T-ten times than earlier. No, wait." The scout, a telepath, communicated with his fellow scout from afar using psychic bonds, similar to what the gods use to talk to angels. "Over a hundred times larger, sir!"

"A...hundred times?" Malice could barely believe the words. "What the hell?"

"They're closing in!"

"When?"

"Now, sir!"

Malice dashed towards the window. Hell was killing the citizens of Knossus. From the impossibility of the havoc that was upon them, Malice concluded that a higher power must have been working against Knossus and its angels. Having no alternative, he broke the glass window and flew out, landing in front of the demons.

"Come on, ya flea bags!"

Malice took one deep breath. This was going to be a really, really long day.


	25. Act ZERO

**UPDATE**

**It's** been a while since I've written anything. A couple of months maybe. I'm here to tell you readers, if there are any, that this story is temporarily on hold. It is undergoing MAJOR revision. I'm doing it to make the plot better and add more depth to the storyline. I want this to be a successful novel. I'm tired of writing just to pass time. This is going to be a more serious project, though I can't guarantee that my writing would be so good for you to notice that. Anyway, I'll be uploading new chapters when I'm confident and happy about them.

Expect a new Shattered Wings soon.

Complete novel due: Q3 2011. 

**Author's Notes**: Now, this Act is supposed to replace the Prologue. This happens right after the Introduction. Well, I hope this turned out to be a good decision. I wanted this novel to be an epic. And epic it will be. Hopefully. =_= High hopes much?

Act Zero

**Opus de Exitium**

**

* * *

**Several hundred human years after the Exodus...

_Eisengard, one of the four cities that angels built and governed after the Exodus._

"Close the gates!"

Imperial guards rushed to the first castle wall.

"Close the gates! Hurry!"

The guards took their positions and started turning the metal lever to shut the massive wooden doors. Amidst their efforts, they were too late.

Black fire blasted through the opening of the castle gate. The poor guards screamed as their charred skin peeled off and permitted the fire to eat them alive.

"God dammit..." King Keinsley cursed as he watched his men burn to their deaths. "Captain Osmund."

Osmund, the captain of the nation's elite knights, the Crusaders, stepped forward and humbly bowed. "Yes, sire?"

"Call the Crusaders. It is time for battle."

"As you wish, sire."

Hands behind his back, Osmund called forth his men. "Crusaders!"

The six royal knights stood rigidly in attention, wearing red crosses on their armors and shields.

"We have conquered Orcs ten times taller than us. We have fought against a thousand enemies and emerged victorious without a single scratch. Again, we are called by fate to defend our people. Our foe might be powerful, but together, we are invincible. Brothers, do not lose heart! Courage!"

"Courage!"

"Forward, march!"

Osmund joined the line of crusaders and completed it to be the Seven Crusaders of Eisengard. Passing by the main hall, the captain noticed a shadowy figure lurking behind them. He turned. He saw a glint of gold from the corner of his eye. It disappeared in a fraction of a second.

"_I feel a presence..._" He looked left and right, searching with his eyes.

"Captain!" one of the royal knights called.

Osmund took one last look before dropping it as just his imagination. "Forward, Crusaders!"

When their footsteps could be heard no more, the cloaked figure appeared from behind an ivory pillar. Making sure that no one was watching her, she made her way into the castle exit with perfect guile.

BHAG.

The loud crash made the angels cringe. The castle gates were torn down. Out of the darkness behind the first wall emerged a dragon as tall as a tower, the legendary dragon that the devil created from his own bones – Belial. With its seven heads and ten horns, it put to death the courage of those who were faint-hearted.

"Crusaders, battle positions!" Osmund shouted as the royal knights entered the scene just in time. King Keinsley was watching the event unfold from two castle walls away, a distance that a soldier would take half an hour to travel but also a distance that a dragon could pass within minutes.

"CHARGE!"

Belial released a deafening roar. Glass shattered. Nearby objects were lifted into the air. Osmund and the Crusaders clasped their hands on their ears.

"C-Captain..." One of the knights called.

Osmund didn't even look. "What?" he asked in irritation. When he received no response, he decided to face the knight. He spun around. Then he looked down. The knight was on the floor, lifeless, with blood coming out from his ears.

Osmund cursed and spun back. His heart skipped a beat. As fast as his limitations could make him, he threw himself to the side as an unimaginable force drove by. As if time slowed down, Osmund was a spectator to the death of three more of his knights. Belial swooped down with godlike speed and tore apart his men.

Senses kicking back in, Osmund's perception of time returned to normal.

"RETREAT!"

Another swoop. He didn't even have to blink for it to happen. The dragon was too fast that it seemed to be teleporting. One more fell. Only one was left.

Osmund turned and faced his last surviving Crusader. A single step for him was equivalent to a thousand meters for the dragon. Belial swiped blindly at its prey. Its claw ran through the Crusader's head, tearing it from the body. Osmund was smothered with fresh blood – the blood of his own troop.

Devastated, King Keinsley stared as his royal knights fell in a matter of seconds. There was only one option left for him.

"Archers!"

The second castle wall of an impressive one thousand feet was filled with archers. United they stood, arrows in hand.

"Aim!"

The bows were raised. The strings were drawn.

Belial flew back and sat on the ground. It watched Osmund with its dark eyes.

"You fiend!" Osmund screamed as he took flight with his white wings. He unsheathed his massive blade and swung it at the dragon.

Belial moved away to avoid the attack, but it didn't attack back. It continued to observe its prey, seemingly mocking it. Osmund somehow sensed this. "You putrid dragon! Come and fight!"

"Osmund! Flee at once!" rung a voice inside his head. It was King Keinsley. He obeyed and started flying the opposite direction.

"FIRE!" King Keinsley shouted.

Osmund looked upward. How terrifying of a sight it was.

The arrows rose like hornets, thickening in the myriad of flight. Many arrows there was, so much that the sun was obscured and the sky was blotted out with darkness. At the back of his mind, Osmund knew he wouldn't make it.

An angelic choir ensnared the captain's attention. His eyes widened. At once, he stopped and sought for the source of the sound. From about fifty meters away was a cloaked figure wielding a bow. Blue light arranged in heavenly insignias was surrounding her.

"NO!"

Osmund pulled everything he had left and flew to the cloaked girl.

"Sire!"

King Keinsley narrowed his eyes to get a better view of the battlefield. He saw Osmund dashing toward a cloaked angel with gold hair. "_Gold hair_," he thought. He discarded the idea. "_It couldn't be._"

"Sire!"

"What?"

"The P-Princess! She's on the field!"

The King fell of his chair. He was right. "WHAT?"

"The cloaked angel appears to be Her Majesty... We only found out that she sneaked outside of-"

"GET HER HERE, NOW!"

But of course, that was impossible.

"Your Majesty!" Osmund cried out.

The cloaked girl turned her head. She saw the arrows in the sky and stared in panic.

Osmund reached her and tackled her. She lost balance and released the string of her bow. The angelic choir stopped and a blue arrow glided past the darkness and into the sky. The dragon tried to deflect it with its claw, but it penetrated and cut through its flesh.

Then, like spears the arrows rained down, killing even the soil where they fall. The arrows bursted into flames on contact.

Hands clenched against the stone wall, King Keinsley waited for the smoke to clear. Wings came out of the smoke. Then a head. Then another one, and another one.

Belial.

The King choked on his own spit. Impossible. The arrow rain didn't even harm the dragon.

Belial flew upwards as the rest of the smoke went with the wind, finally revealing the entire scene. The grass and trees were set ablaze by the arrows. The fire was spreading at an insane rate, and the second castle wall was near its reach.

On the ground was an indistinguishable angel burned beyond measure. In the angel's hand was a bow.

"Oh my God."

* * *

Shattered Wings 2010-2011. All Rights Reserved.


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